Michael Malone wants Nuggets to get Julian Strawther’s 3-point attempts per game up

When Julian Strawther led the NBA in total scoring this preseason, the list of past leaders he joined included some surprisingly good company.

Yes, preseason basketball tends to be a stage for bench players and recent draft picks, while starters play limited minutes to avoid injury risk. Even so, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Devin Booker, Ja Morant and Blake Griffin are among the stars who have amassed the most total points in a preseason. That’s just within the last decade.

Strawther’s 94 points in five exhibitions offered an optimistic glimpse at his potential in Denver. And the second-year guard out of Gonzaga has followed through with efficient shooting so far this year, including 39.7% from the 3-point line — a 10% jump from his rookie season.

Now the Nuggets simply need to capitalize on that improvement more often.

Strawther’s scoring impact has remained inconsistent with the second unit, mostly because his involvement in the offense has fluctuated on a game-to-game basis. But entering Monday’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings, he had scored double-digit points in three consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career. Nuggets coach Michael Malone hopes they can make that more of a trend — in seven of the previous eight games, Strawther had been contained to single digits.

“It gives us a boost. It gives us a guy off the bench that you can play through and run plays for,” Malone said last week. “His catch-and-shoot ability, the 3-point line. We have a lot of guys that — we all talk about, well, we have to shoot more 3s. Part of us not shooting 3s recently is Nikola (Jokic)’s dominance. Nikola’s just dominating inside the two. But Jamal (Murray) can shoot more. Michael (Porter Jr.) can shoot more. Nikola can shoot more. And Julian can shoot more. He’s taking four a game at a really healthy clip. Let’s get that number up to six, six-and-a-half 3s per game.”

It’s an ambitious goal that would require considerable change to achieve. Strawther attempted six or fewer total field goals — not just 3-pointers — in 13 of Denver’s first 23 games this season. His average 3-point attempts were down to 3.4 as of Monday.

But in the six games he has attempted nine or more shots, his efficiency has held up against the higher volume. Strawther is 41.2% from three in those games while mixing in a balanced diet of shots by attacking close-outs, getting to his floater (the other shot he’s most comfortable with), and running in transition.

“I feel like in that second unit, he’s such a talented scorer, and I feel like we can be doing more to try and get him going,” Porter said. “I feel like we need him off the bench to put the ball in the hoop. He’s one of our only volume 3-point shooters. So I feel like just as a team, as players, as coaches, we can try to get him going a little bit more.”

Part of the responsibility will also be on Strawther. He needs to avoid getting played off the floor at the defensive end, where Malone has intentionally been tough on him this season. Why? When Malone watches Strawther off-ball, he sees promise.

But if opponents do everything in their power to force the 22-year-old to guard on-ball, that won’t matter. The Nuggets have a 116.1 defensive rating this season with Strawther on the floor. It’s 108.0 without him.

“One-on-one (needs to improve). He’s a really good team defender. He understands the game. He understands our gameplan, where he needs to be in terms of our five-on-five team defense,” Malone said. “But for Julian, and he’s not the only one, his one-on-one defense — he’s gotta take more pride on that end of the floor, guarding his man. Have more discipline. Not fouling jump shooters. And I’ve seen him do it. I know he’s capable. He’s a young player, but if he can make a jump in terms of his one-on-one, that’s going to help him and help us out tremendously.”