When the Golden State Warriors came into Pepsi Center and trounced the Nuggets for their record-tying 15th straight win to start the season, Denver Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay took the opportunity against reigning MVP Stephen Curry as just another lesson in the trials and tribulations of rookie season.
Mudiay’s learned many lessons already this season, but none may have been more impactful than the one he stored within the depths of his basketball-centric brain after that night. Postgame, Curry went over to Mudiay and shared a moment with the rookie that the cameras didn’t catch.
“I was in his shoes about six years ago, struggling to find wins,” Curry told to J.A. Adande following the Warriors win at Pepsi Center. “[I told him] just keep tunnel vision on trying to get better every day. He will have a long career, so not to get discouraged. Just keep working, thats what the NBA is all about.”
That message was a similar one to the counsel Mudiay received from Chris Paul after the Clippers trounced the Nuggets in Denver two days later. The exchange from one veteran to the rookie is becoming a trend, a welcome to the fraternity type gesture, and it’s something Mudiay is cherishing and taking to heart whenever he finds himself up against an elite point guard, something which happens more often than not in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.
“The great thing about it is they’re really trying to help me,” Mudiay said after the Clippers game. “Of course when we’re out there, we’re trying to kill each other. But me and Chris, just talking after the game, now we’re building an off the court relationship. So they’re trying to help me out which means a lot. That means they probably see potential there, so getting respect from All-Stars is definitely a good thing so it makes me want to work even harder.”
The potential is clearly there for Mudiay and the rookie has the attitude and outlook necessary to fulfill the lofty goals he has for his team. After a career high 26-points against the Phoenix Suns in a losing effort about a week ago, Mudiay was asked if he can take some solace in his scoring effort despite the loss.
“Definitely not,” Mudiay said. “We lost so that’s all that matters to me. I really want to make it to the playoffs this year, but we got a real hard schedule coming up with great teams. So, we gotta lock in, buckle up and play our best defense.”
Even with that career high, individual statistics have been hard to come by this season for the rookie. After shooting 37.0 percent from 3-point range over his first seven games, he’s dropped down to 18.5 percent from distance over his past eight. He’s field goal percentage on mid-range jumpers has fallen from 33 to 29 percent and he’s penetrating 7.6 times per game as opposed to the 8.3 time per game he drove to the basket throughout his first seven games, according to NBA.com and SportVU.
It’s no secret his offense has struggled.
Mudiay is averaging just 0.46 points per possession (PPP) in isolation situations and only 0.55 PPP when he’s the ball handler in a pick and roll, both marks which put him at the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency. Those statistics may be eye opening, but there’s positives to take away from his struggles on offense.
The rookie’s 27.5 percent usage rate, the highest on the Nuggets and nearly six percent higher than Denver’s second highest possession hoarder, Danilo Gallinari, means Mudiay isn’t tentative. He’s taking chances within the offense and isn’t afraid to miss.
His usage is something Malone is comfortable with. He knows at Mudiay’s young age every opportunity is a chance for him to learn something new.
“I just loved the plays he made and late in the game I put the ball in his hands. It’s a great opportunity for him to grow up,” Malone said after Denver pulled out a Mudiay-led fourth quarter win against Portland. “This is a great experience you can’t duplicate in practice. He made big plays for us and the great thing was he’s not scared. He didn’t shy away from it, he wanted it. And making big plays is not just on offense, his defense at times was excellent.”
Allowing Mudiay to learn from his mistakes at the end of games is a refreshing take from Malone and something that will eventually help Emmanuel developmentally.
Eventually Mudiay will attack rim protectors like Tim Duncan and Andrew Bogut instead of stepping back for a lower percentage shot or recycling the offense to the top of the key. Below is an example from the Warriors game of Mudiay finding Bogut in his path – he chooses a step-back three instead of attacking the paint for a higher percentage look or to draw the foul.
Soon enough, Mudiay will explode off screens and into the lane as opposed to hesitating and giving defenders time to recover.
In the clip below against the Spurs, Mudiay has two opportunities to attack Duncan on one possession. He chooses not to attack in both instances: first a pass and second an off the dribble fadeaway moving to his left.
Eventually, the rookie will be willing to push the ball in transition without hesitation and the lingering memories of his nine and 11 turnover games looming in the back of his mind.
“He knows every night he goes on the floor it’s going to be a challenge and from all these experiences he’s going through, they’re great learning opportunities,” Malone said. “As long as we continue to learn from these situations and get better and grow from that experience, by the end of the season he will be a much better player than he was to start the season. So it’s a great challenge for him, a great opportunity to go out there. He’s got nothing to lose, just continue to play and play to the best of his ability.”
Awaiting Mudiay in Denver’s next contest, is another All-Star point guard, the San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker. The last time these two teams faced off, Parker led the Spurs to a win with a team high, and a season high, 25 points; while Mudiay notched just five points on 2-12 shooting.
It’s just game number 15 in the rookie’s career, and yet another opportunity for Mudiay to learn, gain experience and improve his game against one of the best in the NBA. It is as they say: In order to be the best you have to beat the best.
