Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) passes the ball to center Jusuf Nurkic (23) around Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Jazz defeated the Nuggets 100-84. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Nuggets: 3 Things to Watch for in Their Preseason Opener by Nathan Beighle

Emmanuel Mudiay had a lackluster rookie campaign. But, can the now sophomore point guard make the leap to be the Denver Nuggets’ floor general?

Throughout last season, Emmanuel Mudiay made Nuggets’ fans repeatedly regreted their faithfulness, but it could all change soon.

According to Aniello Piro of Mile High Sports, Emmanuel Mudiay said that he is trying to become more effective and the vocal leader of the Nuggets.

This leadership may first start with his ability to pass the ball which he did poorly last season. Now, let’s take a look at what Mudiay must improve on first.

Advanced Table Season MP PER TS% FTr AST% TOV% USG% OWS DWS WS WS/48 OBPM DBPM BPM VORP 2015-16 2068 9.9 .437 .231 29.0 17.9 25.7 -3.3 1.2 -2.1 -0.049 -3.1 -1.2 -4.3 -1.2 Career 2068 9.9 .437 .231 29.0 17.9 25.7 -3.3 1.2 -2.1 -0.049 -3.1 -1.2 -4.3 -1.2 View Original Table

Generated 10/3/2016. Provided by Basketball-Reference.com Generated 10/3/2016.

Emmanuel Mudiay per 100 possessions last season averaged 9.0 assists per game which on the surface sounds good, but overall, it is less than the aging Deron Williams. Mudiay, the starting point guard on the Nuggets who were in the top half of the leagues in assists, ranked 25th in the NBA in assists per game.

This is an aspect of his game that he must start to excel in. The Nuggets, without D.J. Augustin, need a passing point guard, and Mudiay needs to be that player.

Of the Nuggets who played in over 50 games, Emmanuel Mudiay ranked first in usage percentage and dead last in turnover percentage. This is a problem that may haunt Mudiay the rest of his career.

While on the court, Mudiay was a liability for the Nuggets. With a -3.3 offensive win shares, Mudiay has several aspects in which he can improve on for this upcoming season.

Mudiay, last season, averaged 53.4 passes per game, which is rather low compared to his fellow point guards. This could be attributed to multiple things: potential selfishness, stagnant offense, or isolation play calls. Either way, Emmanuel Mudiay needs to get this offense going as they were not a feared offense power house.

Along with that, the future point guard of the Nuggets needs to learn how to spread the rock and how to do so effectively.

In his post All-Star break (the part of the season where Mudiay broke out), there was a correlation between Mudiay’s points and assists.

In February, the point guard averaged 10.3 points per game and 6.0 assists per game; while in March, he averaged 15.8 points per game and 4.8 assists per game.

Both Mudiay’s were productive, but it will be interesting to see which Emmanuel Mudiay we will be seeing this season.

Well, as I end this article, check out this video about the potential rise of Mudiay and Jokic!

If you liked this article, remember to give us a like on Facebook!