Recently, according to news released by Shams, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets completed a transaction. They traded Pop and Ismail Smith to acquire Nuggets . Last season's two starters, Monte Morris and Will Barton. After losing to in this year's playoffs, the Nuggets, with two consecutive regular season MVP Jokic, have been particularly active in the free market, striving to satisfy the "Big White Bear" in the opening season.
Just after the transaction was completed, the media said that Wizards had made a lot of money. The veteran Popsmith was exchanged for the Nuggets' two starters last season. Morris last season had 12.6 points, 3 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and averaged only 1 turnover per game, leading the league in assist-to-loss ratio. One of the five players, Barton is the only player in the Nuggets who has accompanied Jokic throughout his career. He averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season and was the team's third leading scorer.
These two players are not as good as they look
In fact, Patton and Morris are both typical "data-based" players, and they are not very dominant in terms of high-end statistics.
first looks at Morris. After the start of this offseason, according to Nuggets team reporter, there are already no less than 20 teams that want to trade Morris from the Nuggets. Judging from his playoff performance alone, Morris is one of the few players on the Nuggets who can perform normally.
averaged 14 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the playoffs, shot 42.3% from three-point range, and averaged only 1.6 turnovers per game. His assist-to-turnover ratio reached 3.4, ranking 12th in the league, but he is such an all-around and versatile player. Why are the Nuggets willing to trade such a stable player?
The reason is very simple. It all comes down to Morris' poor defensive ability. It can be said that he has almost no defensive ability. His personal plus-minus value reached -9, ranking 154th among all playoff players, and his net efficiency was -14.2. , ranked 108th, with him on the court, not to mention Poole, it is also possible for Damian Lee to transform into Curry.
The second is Will Barton. Since entering the league, Barton has been praised most for his offensive skills. However, many people have not discovered that there is a fatal problem. Barton's tactical execution ability is very poor.
When the team has Jokic, you can see it more than once. Before his teammates are in position, Button uses his thin body to rush into the opponent's penalty area, but what he gets in exchange is Jokic. The teacher does endless physical training on the court. This situation will most likely continue after wizards . By then, they may steal the limelight from and , but apart from self-confidence, other aspects will have little effect.
And I have to mention that Patton's defensive ability on the court is about the same as Morris's, and his net efficiency of -12.1 ranks 103rd among all playoff players.
Therefore, the Nuggets started looking for homes for these two as soon as the offseason began this year. After Murray returns next season, the team will not have a starter to give Morris, so they might as well take advantage of the high trade value now. can be exchanged for some available resources.
The Nuggets welcome the perfect 3D
After sending away the two colanders, the Nuggets successfully exchanged the Wizards' 3D player Pope. As the main bargaining chip for the Lakers in exchange for Westbrook, Pope averaged 13.2 points per game with the Wizards last season. 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals, a very comprehensive performance.
all know that Pope made his name in the league by playing defense, and his career three-point shooting rate of 36% is still acceptable. As long as he no longer has too many gambling steals like before, then the Nuggets backcourt The defense can definitely be left to him with peace of mind.
And next season, Pope is likely to appear in the backcourt, so that his 1.96 meter height will have no disadvantage. After Murray and Porter are both healthy, the Nuggets can eliminate Murray The starting lineup of +Pope + Porter + Gordon + Jokic, with such starting strength, can compete with any team in the league.
Don’t forget that Ishmael Smith is also coming. This veteran who has been in the league for 12 years is about to usher in his 13th team, which has also created a new one in the league. history record. Moreover, after acquiring Smith, the Nuggets have no intention of laying him off. They believe that this veteran who has climbed up from the bottom of the league can use his experience to help the team.
Therefore, it cannot be determined who will benefit more from this transaction. What is certain is that the Nuggets have reduced their salary space after upgrading their lineup and will definitely not be the final loser of this transaction.
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