Trade season is officially in full swing.
With the 2021-22 trade deadline a few weeks away, teams have begun to get in on the action, with the latest move involving the Denver Nuggets.
In a three-team trade that was made official Wednesday, Denver traded PJ Dozier, Bol Bol, and a 2028 second-round pick in a three-team deal that involved the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. The prized target for the Nuggets was Bryn Forbes, who joins the Mile High squad from San Antonio.
So, what exactly will the 6-foot-2 guard bring to the Mile High city? Well to sum things up in one word… Shooting.
Yes, that’s Shooting with a capital S, as Forbes has established himself as one of the game’s best 3-point shooters in recent years. A career 41.3 percent shooter from beyond the arc, Forbes has connected on 41.7 percent of his 151 attempts from deep this season after a 45.2 percent shooting season as a member of the 2020-21 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.
In fact, over the past four seasons, Forbes ranks third in the entire league in 3-point percentage (42.1 percent) among players that have attempted at least 700 3-pointers during that span. The other players that round out the top five? Joe Harris, Seth Curry, Luke Kennard, and Stephen Curry. That’s some pretty elite company from downtown.
For a Nuggets team that has gone through some cold spells from deep this season, Forbes’ presence will instantly relieve the offense through added floor-spacing. On the season, Denver ranks 18th in the league at 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Considering that the Nuggets have jumped into the top 10 in 3-point attempts per game (36.4), adding an elite shooter in Forbes will make Denver’s offense more dangerous, especially as opponents prepare schemes to try and defend Nikola Jokić.
However, Forbes doesn’t simply stand beyond the arc on offense. In fact, nearly half of the 28-year-old’s shot attempts have come inside the arc, and Forbes is a career 47.2 percent shooter on two-point attempts, including 68.8 percent around the rim this season.
The vast majority of Forbes’ shots have been assisted throughout his career (63.9 percent of his two-point field goals and 91.5 percent of his 3-pointers), but Forbes is capable of putting the ball on the floor to get to his spots on the court and knock down jumpers.
Given his size, Forbes is likely to play the role of sharpshooter coming off the bench for Denver, adding another capable player to Denver’s backcourt rotation. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone will certainly have options at both guard positions moving forward with the likes of Facundo Campazzo, Bones Hyland, Austin Rivers, and now Forbes all on Denver’s bench.