DENVER — Darrell Arthur never stops working.
The 28-year-old is one of the first in the gym, last out on a daily basis, so much so that because of a balky knee that’s given Arthur trouble all season, Michael Malone has had to limit him in practice.
“He had two hard practices in London and his knee swelled up because of it.” Malone said. “So I have to protect him from himself, and, obviously, if we want him in games we have to limit his practice time so we can get him in the game as much as possible. So that’s just something we have to keep our eye on, and I have to trust and listen to our medical staff so we’re making sure we put Darrell in the best position possible.”
Arthur’s healthier now than he’s been at any point this year and the box score reflects that. The forward has seen action in three straight games; 13 minutes against the Clippers, 21 in a loss to the Timberwolves and 22 Saturday night versus the Jazz. While his playing time has fluctuated with his health this season, one thing that has stayed with Arthur all year is his jumper.
Arthur is shooting a staggering 50.9 percent (27-53) from three this year, a career-high for the eight-year veteran and tops in the league for players with more than 50 attempts by roughly five percentage points.
“His shooting and the improvement in his shooting is that he’s a workaholic,” Malone said. “He takes a lot of pride in his job and being able to make shots.”
“I would say from the three, yeah it’s the best my shot has ever felt,” Arthur told BSN Denver.” I’ve had good shooting years where I shot 50 percent from inside the three, but I’m just now starting to get my legs under me and feel comfortable shooting that three ball consistently.”
Arthur’s favorite spot is the top of the key, above the break, where he’s shooting 51.3 percent (20-39) this year. In Denver’s win over Utah, Arthur was again lethal from that mark nailing two key jumpers from distance.
“What’s going on with his jumper is he works his butt off,” Malone said of Arthur. “Darrell Arthur puts a lot of time in the gym….he gives us a different dimension offensively spacing the floor.”
Against Utah, Arthur kept the Nuggets afloat in a first quarter where Denver collectively shot just 31.8 percent from the field and trailed 22-18. Arthur hit two threes in the first on his way to a team-high 12 points in the first half as the Nuggets overcame a sloppy start and went on to win by ten.
“Working with our developmental coaches and Mike Miller has helped me a lot,” Arthur told BSN Denver.
However, the capper on Arthur’s night was a one-legged fadeaway from the mid-post where the Dallas, Texas native channeled his inner Dirk Nowitzki, a player Arthur looks up to. Despite logging just five post-ups this year, per NBA.com, it’s a move he’s been working on.
“I felt like Dirk for about .5 seconds,” Arthur said.
