If you’ve been keeping up with the Denver Nuggets this year, the storylines have been similar to last year: turnovers, defensive struggles and the inability to finish games.
Likewise, keeping up with Emmanuel Mudiay has been just as simple: poor shooting, inconsistency and an inability to finish at the rim.
On Sunday night, though, Mudiay came alive, playing like he’s never played before. Against the Celtics in Boston, Mudiay showed off his improved jump shot, got to the rim and controlled the offense. It was about as impressive of a quarter as we’ve seen from any player this season.
Emmanuel Mudiay outscores Boston 24-23 in the first quarter! #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/QmVyso4ZNp
— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2016
In the first quarter Mudiay exploded, as he outscored the Celtics by himself on mid range shots, fade-away jumpers and drives to the rim. More importantly, he was efficient, as he went 9-of-10, including going 3-4 from the three point line.
“I saw an aggressive, confident young man out there, who took the game over,” said coach Mike Malone.
This was coming off a game, too, where Mudiay went 0-7 from the field and posted a -19 plus/minus in 24 minutes. The remarkable 24-hour turnaround is a testament to Mudiay’s drive.
“Emmanuel’s mindset to start the game was imposing his will from the jump ball, and that’s what he needs to do every night,” Malone said.
Sunday night’s game was Mudiay’s second 30-point game of his career, and his 24-point first quarter is the most any player has scored in a single quarter this season.
It’s performance like this that show why the Denver Nuggets selected Mudiay seventh overall in the 2015 NBA draft. It’s just one game, but if he can use this game as a catalyst for the rest of the season, his ceiling may be higher than anyone even thought.
The Nuggets are now 3-3 as they finish their five-game road trip against Memphis on Tuesday.