Is Denver's most improved player a coach? Will Barton makes the case for Michael Malone

The vibe at Will Barton‘s locker after wins and losses range from Saturday nights at Club Liv on Miami Beach to revealing therapy sessions where the 26-year-old gives postgame sermons like few do. After Friday night’s thrilling 117-111 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Barton teetered between the two extremes.

He emerged from the showers after most of his teammates had departed into the Denver night and slowly sauntered toward his locker. Barton then dressed and put a stamp of approval on the job Nuggets coach Michael Malone has done as of late, crediting him with instilling confidence up and down Denver’s roster in year three on the job.

“I think that’s the biggest adjustment he’s made as a coach this year,” Barton said. “And I feel like that’s why were we’re winning more. I feel like he’s really stepped it up in that area with everyone.”

Barton’s assertion was front and center Friday night. Starting point guard Jamal Murray, who’s already gone through two disastrous shooting slumps in his second season, is playing with an increased amount of confidence. Murray opened his sophomore season by shooting 2-21 from three-point range. He rebounded for a few games but then went through a similar 2-22 drought in late November.

The 20-year-old is 23-44 from three-point range in the month of December. Malone’s trust in Murray never wavered.

G League call-up Torrey Craig, whose whirlwind 24 hours came full circle when he blocked Jrue Holiday’s potential game-winning jumper as time expired in regulation, is another test case. Malone not only started Craig but put him on Holiday with the game on the line.

Flashback to last season. Malone watched as a former second-round pick from Serbia dribbled the ball up the floor (often times recklessly) and never batted an eye. A year later and Nikola Jokic is still at the center of one of the league’s most potent offenses.

Gary Harris, Malik Beasley and Trey Lyles are also important pieces who have developed under Malone’s watch.

Players deserve all the credit for the strides they’ve made, but still, they need a coach to empower them on the court.

“Guys are playing more loose. When you feel like your coach got your back and he’s in it with you, he doesn’t care about you making one mistake and he’s still got your back, it does a lot for the team morale,” Barton said. “We got a lot of young guys, guys like Malik, Jamal even Trey. It’s big when you see that from your general. It trickles down to the team.”

The Nuggets have improved record-wise in Malone’s first two seasons and are on track to do so in year three as well. Malone’s been a central ingredient to a changed culture that’s a 180-degree shift from what he inherited following a disastrous two-year run under Brian Shaw.

More than a third of the way through the season, the Nuggets are 16-13. Denver’s been without its two best players in Paul Millsap and Jokic for large chunks of the year. The Nuggets have also piled up a 10-2 record at Pepsi Center and have shown flashes of the home-court dominance they had under George Karl.

“I mean he’s talking to guys at shootaround, practices, games. He’s just telling us keep playing. Everything’s going to be okay. Keep your confidence, Shot’s going to go in. Just hustle and play defense,” Barton continued. “And I feel like that’s the biggest adjustment he’s made as a coach and I feel like its paying dividends for us as a team.”

In some ways, Barton is the Nuggets’ pulse. He’ll pull no punches and is usually a good barometer for where the rest of the team stands both on and off the court.

He’s also assumed the role as Denver’s closer with Millsap out for an extended period of time after wrist surgery. Barton faltered in Indiana as the Nuggets went on a near eight-minute scoring drought across the fourth quarter and overtime periods. He rebounded on Friday to score 11 of Denver’s 13 points in overtime and fought through a low back contusion that’s bothered him for the past few days.

Malone’s confidence in Barton and in his role as a closer has never wavered either.

“Will Barton’s a gamer…As that second half went on, he loosened up, he got his swag back, Malone said. “In overtime, he brought it home.”