The shot wasn’t of the IKEA variety, pretty much ready to go right out of the box with minimal assembly required.
Heck, no. Will Barton had to bend and hone and shape the thing from scratch. The hard way.
“(It came from) obviously, the longevity,” the Nuggets swingman said earlier this week when asked about his 3-point shot, the one that will forever go down in team history. “(And) definitely a dedication to the craft … (when) I came in (the NBA), it was a weakness of mine. I worked really hard in the gym in the summer to get my 3-pointer right — and when good health and everything aligns, things like this can happen.”
Over his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons with Portland, the 31-year-old Barton attempted 116 treys and connected on just 23, a rate of 19.8%.
As a Nugget, he’s nearly doubled that clip from long distance (36.2%), which is why the veteran went into Wednesday night’s game against Oklahoma City one trey away from tying the franchise’s all-time record for 3-pointers made (768), currently held by J.R. Smith.
“After my rookie year. I knew if I could get consistent with my jump shot, my overall game (would) open up and I (would) become a really good player,” Barton reflected recently. “And that’s what happened.”
Those long hours and determination started showing out on the court between the 2014-15 season, when Barton was acquired from Portland, and 2015-16, his first full season along Chopper Circle. During the latter season, the 6-foot-5 wing threat converted on a career-best 112 treys on 325 attempts (34.5%), more than quintupling his conversions from the previous year (23-of-85, 27.1%).
Barton’s 120 makes going into Wednesday evening puts him on a pace to crush his previous career-high season mark of 156, set during the 2017-18 season. The extended absences of guard Jamal Murray and forward Michael Porter Jr., the two best long-range shooters among the starting five, have allowed Will “The Thrill” to post career bests this season in 3-point makes per game (2.2) and 3-point attempts per game (6.1).
But the 10-year vet was looking to rebound against the Thunder from a shaky performance in Portland this past Sunday that saw him convert just one of eight attempts from the floor and post an 0-for-5 line from beyond the arc.
“Nikola (Jokic) rebounded at a high level, assisted at a high level, but our starters weren’t their usual selves, I think,” coach Michael Malone observed. “And Will was a part of that.
“Do I think, in the back of his mind, he (thought), ‘If I make two more threes, I’m going to set the record?’ I’m sure it’s there. But I don’t think that’s what it was (on Sunday).”
