Drafted back on June 25th, he was heralded as the savior of the franchise. Those with realistic expectations knew that it would take some time for Emmanuel Mudiay to be effective, while Michael Malone implored us to remember that this is just a 19 year-old kid. Fast-forward half a season and we now have an adequate sample size to gauge his development. Don’t let the shine of fellow rookie phenom Nikola Jokic blind you from seeing the growing light that is Emmanuel Mudiay.
Although he’s averaging 11.1 points per game — fifth among rookies — to go along with 5.7 assists — first among rookies, Mudiay has made notable improvements that go beyond the box score. His decision making is better, which is allowing him to run the Nuggets offense more effectively. And he’s showing the poise that goes hand-in-hand with his calculating on-court style.
For years Denver has been plagued with having an undersized point guard, leading to “contested, but not really” perimeter shots on the defensive end and constantly playing at a disadvantage against some of the league’s monsters, like Russell Westbrook or John Wall. Mudiay has been a godsend, standing 6-foot-5 with an intimidating 6-foot-8 wingspan that he has only just begun tapping into. They say the sky is the limit for Mudiay, and he looks like he’s on a trajectory to be among the stars.
In fact, he’ll be among plenty them at NBA All-Star weekend in Toronto. Mudiay, along with Jokic, will participate in the Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 12, representing the Denver Nuggets; while Will ‘The Thrill” Barton does the same in the Slam Dunk Contest. Let us take a stroll down memory lane as we relive the 10 best performances in Mudiay’s rookie season, thus far.
Rockets, Oct. 28th: Not only did Mudiay start his career on a high note with 17 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds, but also his very first professional possession. Here we see undersized point guard Ty Lawson futile’s effort in trying to deny Mudiay not only the ball, but also his future in the NBA. Emmanuel easily blows by him, weaves his way to the rim and dishes a gorgeous pass to a cutting Gary Harris for an easy dunk. Poetry in motion.
The rookie didn’t just lead the Nuggets to a surprise victory, but he also did it against the very player he replaced. In just his first game, Mudiay had already won the hearts of thousands, looking like a bona fide star as he closed the game expertly with a cold-blooded pull up from midrange. Fans were left wondering… “Can he do this every night?”
Lakers, Nov. 3rd: Althougth he came close to 10 assists in his first game, Mudiay’s first career double-double (12 points, 10 assists) took place against the point guard that was drafted ahead of him — D’Angelo Russell. He gave us more of a taste to come as he shot 3-4 from beyond the arc that game, leaving fans questioning whether or not his perimeter shot was really a weakness. Here we see him making Lou Williams pay for foolishly listening to his scouting report and going under the screen.
Trailblazers, Nov. 9th: He played one of his most complete games as a pro, not just scoring 18 points but locking in on defense as well. Here we saw him making huge defensive plays down the stretch against premiere scorer, Damian Lillard. On this first play, Mudiay stays with Lillard as he drove baseline, recovered nicely while he spun towards the basket and used his aforementioned wingspan to send the shot flying.
On the second play, Lillard attempted to score a quick bucket and give the Blazers a chance, as they were down 4 points with just :14 seconds left in the game. He blew by Mudiay, but the rookie stayed with him, riding his hip all the way to the basket. Looked like Lillard didn’t expect Mudiay’s wingspan to allow him to block his shot from behind. Big mistake.
Bucks, Nov. 11th: The very next game, Mudiay continued his stellar play as he dropped yet another double-double (16 points, 11 assists) prompting Jason Kidd to famously say, “He’ll be better than me”. Huge words coming from the sure-fire future Hall of Famer. On this play we see Mudiay playing just like vintage Kidd, getting to the rim off a screen, and dumping it off to J.J. Hickson with the slick pass.
Pelicans, Nov. 17th: The 17-point blowout of the Pelicans was the biggest rout since the Rockets opener, and was the perfect feel-good win after getting absolutely decimated by the Suns. The rookie played extremely solid posting 12 points and 8 assists with just 2 turnovers. On this play we can see that Mudiay has never lost his willingness to make plays despite the turnover problems, throwing a precise pinpoint pass on the fastbreak that Danilo Gallinari slammed home.
On this second play we see Eric Gordon, the 27 year-old shooting guard, attempting to stop Mudiay. Gordon’s efforts are fruitless as Mudiay easily blew by him, absorbed the contact and finished with a nice touch for the and-1. Many people assume it is Mudiay’s explosiveness that will aide him, but once he learns how to use his strength effectively, the nuances of driving in traffic and how to fully utilize his body — that’s when he’ll become truly scary.
Suns, Nov. 20th: In an attempt to get revenge on the Suns blowout from less than a week prior, Mudiay exploded for what was his best scoring performance to date. He dropped 26 points on a good defender in Eric Bledsoe and gave fans a glimpse of his offensive potential. Here we see Mudiay once again weaving his way through traffic and using his strength to finish with contact. This will be a staple of his game for years to come.
Not only did he have a great offensive night, but he locked down defensively as well. Here we watch him block Bledsoe in crunch-time as well as finishing the fastbreak on the other end with an aggressive take. I don’t even have to see Malone’s face to know he’s smiling ear-to-ear with that defensive stop.
Warriors, Nov. 22nd: Mudiay continued his momentum into the very next game as he dropped 17 points on the defending champions to go along with 8 assists. It wasn’t enough to get the win, but it was enough to give us this beauty of a play as Mudiay drops Stephen Curry with the crossover and then hits the three. Shake and bake.
Grizzlies, Jan. 21st: If there’s one thing to be happy about, it’s the fact that Mudiay stayed aggressive despite the early troubles with turnovers. Credit must be given to Malone for making sure that the rookies and youngsters are full of confidence and are able to play through their mistakes — instead of being afraid of getting benched.
Here we see Mudiay, after turning the ball over the previous play (his only one of the night) staying aggressive, weaving through defenders and making a gorgeous pass to a streaking Kenneth Faried for the dunk. Beautiful, beautiful basketball from the rookie. He finished the night with 14 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds.
Detroit, Jan. 23rd: Here we take a look at Mudiay’s jumper. Earlier in the season, his form was often terrible and it resulted in low percentage shooting nights. There was a hitch that prevented consistency, as well as his tendency to be off-balance. Emmanuel has been working extensively with assistant coach Dee Brown in order to correct his stroke and spent a good chunk of time while injured adjusting his shot (he missed 14 games with an ankle injury). Here is a look at that improved shot as he scored 18 points on 6-15 shooting that night.
Wizards, Jan. 28th: What better way to end this than to look at his game against the player Mudiay was compared to by more than a few in John Wall. We end things with a passing play of course, as that’s Mudiay’s biggest strength. Here we see him go straight to the top of the key, where he already sees the play unfolding, he skipped a gorgeous bounce pass through two defenders for a tough Faried and-1. He finished the game with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Have a look from a different angle and marvel at Mudiay’s passing prowess.
He slumped a bit after a tremendous start in Houston as shown above, but with the help of a coincidentally beneficial injury forcing him to observe from the bench, Mudiay has blasted through to the other side of the rookie wall. Before the injury he was averaging a mere 10.7 points per game. Now he’s pouring in a solid 12 points per game including double-digits in his 10 of his last 12 games. He’s grown more and more comfortable in each game and has gradually earned Malone’s trust to close games — no small feat.
We’re all witnessing the growth of a very, very special player. Emmanuel Mudiay is on the rise.
