National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets Player Outlooks: What to Expect from Emmanuel Mudiay

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jan 23, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) and guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) celebrate during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets drafted Emmanuel Mudiay in last years lottery. Will this finally be his breakthrough season in the NBA?

Over the next couple weeks, I will be going over each player on the Nuggets roster. I will be breaking down what everyone’s role on the team for the upcoming season. With it being a new season, fans may see changes in how certain players affect the team.

This will be a consistent article as we near closer and closer to the season, and it will only get better (I promise).

With so much talent, it is a great task figuring out each player outlook for this season, but we have accomplished our goal with sound research and logic!

Without further ado, let’s analyze the first Nugget on the list.

Apr 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills (8) guards Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Spurs 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Mudiay

Emmanuel Mudiay will be looking to avoid the sophomore slump.

After struggling with his shooting percentage in the beginning of the year last season, he improved after the All-Star Break. Fans are hopeful that he will continue this positive trend in his development. Now with a year under his belt, Mudiay will look to take the role of the quarterback of the Nuggets.

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As starting point guard of the team, Mudiay is now one of the leaders of the Nuggets. Not only will he need to have an impact with his play-making, he will need to become a voice in the locker room. If Mudiay succeeds in these areas, the Nuggets will continue to rebuild in a positive way. The Nuggets are hoping Mudiay can be their Chris Paul.

But, his 3.2 turnovers per game last season will need to drastically improve along with his shooting percentage. Mudiay finished last season with an abominable 43.7 true shooting percentage and a 40.4 effective field goal percentage. Just as every other Denver Nuggets blogger will say, Mudiay has the potential to be a top-tier NBA point guard, but he needs to fix the little kinks in his game first.

If Mudiay embraces his role, he will be well on his way to becoming an elite point guard like Chris Paul.

Jan 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) brings the ball up the court against Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first half at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Fix

Mudiay’s role this year will be one of the most important on the team. As the floor general who was taken 7th overall, the pressure will be on him.

The fix to Mudiay game may need to move on offense. He shoots 47.2% of his shots when he has the ball between 2-6 seconds during the shot clock. This is almost expected as he is the point guard, but in this time, he made only 35.2%. The majority of the time when a player has the ball between 2-6 in their possession it is a half court set.

Therefore, in that thinking, for Mudiay to find better success, he needs to indulge in the playbook and find a way to manipulate the offense into a more beneficial one for him.

However, Mudiay has the tools to succeed and elevate the Nuggets to the next level. As the point guard, or “quarterback,” of Denver basketball, Mudiay will look develop his game this season.

Make sure to keep an eye out for the next article of this topic where I break down Gary Harris’ role on the team this coming year.

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