J.R. Smith was a 38% career three-point shooter coming into this season, and was a 40% shooter from three the last two seasons.  Well, something has happened this season as Smith’s sharpshooting ways have been a thing of the past.  He is only hitting 31% of his threes this season and he just can’t seem to get himself out of this long shooting slump.  In the last three games he has gone 3-17 from three, so it doesn’t look like his shooting woes are going to end anytime soon.  His overall FG% isn’t very good either at 40%, but this hasn’t stopped Smith from continuing to chuck them up.  Smith is very athletic and can get to the hole easily, so I would like to see Smith put it on the floor and be more aggressive driving the ball.  Perhaps some more trips to the free throw line could help him get out of this shooting slump, as he is only attempting 2.5 free throws per game.  The Nuggets are a very solid club and J.R. Smith is a big part of that, but they are going to need him to step up is shooting when the playoffs roll around.

Carmelo Anthony may be the star and the number one guy for the Denver Nuggets, but I think it is Chauncey Billups who is the most important player for the Nuggets.  As soon as Billups became a member of the Nuggets last season, they immediately became a much better team.  Billups was the key to all of the success the Detroit Pistons had in recent years, and I don’t know why they ever gave him up.  The Nuggets sure are happy that they did though, because Billups has not only made the Nuggets a better overall team, but he has brought the best out of his teammate Carmelo Anthony.  Billups does have the ability to put a team on his back, which he showed in last night’s 123-118 win over the Golden State Warriors where he dropped 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists on 11-19 shooting.  That is not the norm for Billups though, as he usually puts his ego aside and only scores that much when the Nuggets need it.  Billups usually just runs the point, letting Carmelo be the main scorer.  Billups is averaging 18.8 points, 5.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on the season.  Billups’ knack for hitting the big shot is also a huge asset for the Nuggets, especially when the playoffs roll around.

The Nuggets have stood by center Nene Hilario through his first few years when he was injured quite a bit and it’s paying off. He played well last season but he has even been better this year. Nene has played in 40 games (all starts) for the Nuggets this season and he is averaging 34.2 minutes, 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. The 27-year old Nene is shooting 58.1% from the floor as most of his shots come from close range.

Small forward Alex English was a offensive machine for the Nuggets in his time. He played in 837 games for the Nuggets in his career and he averaged 35.7 minutes, 25.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. English is all over the Nuggets’ record books as he has played in the most games in team history (837) and he has played the most minutes (29,893). English is the all-time leading scorer in Nuggets’ history with 21,645 and he will stay there for a few more years until Carmelo Anthony catches him if he stays healthy and in Denver long enough. English is also the all-time leader in franchise history in assists with 3,679 and he should stay that way for a while with no real threat on the team looming. English is also 4th in rebounds (4,686), #3 in steals (854) and #5 in blocked shots (624) on the all-time lists of the Nuggets. I really enjoyed watching him play with the Nuggets as he was a slick offensive basketball player.

25-year old small forward Carmelo Anthony is making a MVP run this season for the Nuggets. He has played in 32 games (all starts) for the Nuggets this season and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 30.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals. Anthony has now played in 477 games (all starts) in his career with the Nuggets and he is averaging 36.3 minutes, 24.6 minutes, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Anthony is by far the best player on the Nuggets and the team will only reach it’s full potential if he stays healthy all year long.