Emmanuel Mudiay has dipped in value since his entrance to the league. When he was drafted 7th overall by the Denver Nuggets, the Nuggets thought they landed their future point guard. Sadly, Mudiay has not panned out the way Denver’s front office expected him to. But, head coach Mike Malone has not given up on Mudiay quite yet.
Ahead of the NBA Africa Game 2017, Malone spoke with the media and gave insight to his conversations about some expectations he set with Mudiay, who is slated to play in the game this weekend.
“I challenged him to to be in Denver more with our coaching staff. I think Emmanuel’s had a terrific summer. As far as what he needs to work on, as a point guard, he has to work on pace. He can become a more efficient shooter.”
Both Mudiay and Malone agree “that this summer is the biggest summer of his career.”
Emmanuel had a subpar season last year with most of his statistics being lower than they were in his inaugural season. In his rookie season, he averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. In his sophomore season, he averaged 11 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds. Granted, he had a back injury that limited his playing time in his second season, but the numbers are still a drop off from his first season. In fact, his play was so poor that he fell out of Malone’s normal rotation.
So Malone challenged Mudiay to spend more time in Denver. Mudiay has welcomed the challenge and has spend most of his summer in Denver working with his coaches. “It was important for me to be [in Denver]. I wanted to work more with the coaches. It was important for me to go back,” Mudiay said.
Malone clearly has faith in Mudiay and desires the best for the young point guard. But, with Jamal Murray supposedly starting for the Nuggets next season, where does Mudiay fit in? If he flourishes he’s obviously better than a bench piece. Yet, if he flunks, he will have the “bust” title forever.
This season is the most important in Mudiay’s young career. Hopefully, he can make the most of the opportunity.
