If Washington wants a player with experience and a Swiss Army knife skillset to round out their starting group, Barton is the man for the job.
and in the league in general give him the best case to start on the wing for the Wizards. Defenders always look more or less strong based on the personnel around them, and Barton is departing a team that ranked 15th in defensive rating in the NBA last year for a team ranked 25th.īarton’s ability to score on his own in isolation, run the pick and roll and create offense would also give the Wizards another scoring option in what looks to be a high-powered offense behind Beal, Porzingis and Kuzma.Ĭlearly, though, Barton’s past experience with Unseld Jr. It’s unreasonable to hope that Barton will be some sort of defensive stopper on the wing for Washington. Barton’s defense has been up and down over the course of his career.
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Standing at 6’6” with a 6’10” wingspan, Barton has the physical attributes to be a plus defender on the wing, if not at least a serviceable one.
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WILL BARTON WITH THE DAGGER TO KEEP THE NUGGETS IN THE SERIES 😮 /V2tQjw12kv and the Wizards might see Barton as a plug-and-play option next to their new duo of Beal and Porzingis, able to hit big shots like this one. In his three seasons since 2019–20, Barton has averaged 37.3% from behind the arc – well above league average of 35.4%.īarton has also proven he can play off of stars with a lot of positional gravity, like Nikola Jokic. His career percentage, however, doesn’t demonstrate just how good he has been as a shooter over his past couple of seasons. That characteristic, shared with likely starter Monte Morris, could also help nudge Barton into the starting role.Ī career 35.4% three-point shooter, Barton shot 36.5% last year on a career high 6.1 attempts in a higher-volume role on the injury-riddled Denver roster. He also is deeply familiar with Unseld Jr. But having played a significant role on a winning Nuggets team last year, Barton brings something the other options for the Wizards at the small forward spot don’t: experience.īarton started all 71 games he played for the Nuggets last season, helping the team to its 48–34 record, largely without stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Since he landed in Washington alongside point guard Monte Morris in a trade, which sent the Wizards’ Ish Smith and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Denver, Barton has been widely considered the leader in the competition for the starting small forward role.īarton brings a little bit of everything the Wizards are looking for at the small forward spot. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) (Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images) Washington Wizards’ Will Barton (C) attempts to block Golden State Warriors’ Moses Moody (R) during the NBA Japan Games 2022 pre-season basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on October 2, 2022. Here is the most compelling case for each of the three Wizards to be the team’s starting small forward in the 2022-23 season. must determine not only which player might be the best overall, but who will fit best playing alongside those two. In what will be the first season star shooting guard Bradley Beal gets to spend on the court with the floor-stretching big man, Kristaps Porzingis, Unseld Jr. Then there is Deni Avdija, who is entering his third year of NBA basketball and established himself last season as the team’s preeminent defender on the wing, capable of guarding opponents’ stars on a nightly basis.Īnd finally, there is Rui Hachimura, who made his case a starter behind an aggressive pair of games to start the preseason against the Golden State Warriors, logging 13 points and 9 rebounds in the preseason opener and an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in the rematch that followed. Barton would bring a level of experience, scoring and self-creation to the starting lineup. will have to choose what attribute is most important to add to his starting group.įirst there is new Wizard Will Barton, a carryover from Unseld Jr.’s Nuggets squad, who was a perennial starter during his time in Denver. But with none of the options providing a perfect option, Unseld Jr. The skill sets of the candidates for the final starting spot are varied - each provides a crucial skill set for winning basketball. will be forced to choose between a trio of gifted, though imperfect options to fill the small forward spot in the starting lineup. By Dominic Massimino 1 week ago Follow TweetĪs the Washington Wizards continue through their preseason schedule and inch closer and closer to their regular-season opener against the Indiana Pacers Oct.
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