Denver Nuggets wing Will Barton isn't enthused about the prospect of heading into the season as a reserve player.
"I have no plans on being the sixth man," Barton said following Wednesday's 126-95 preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers, according to DNVR's Brendan Vogt. "I have no desire to be that at all."
Barton, who had a delayed start to training camp while recovering from knee and back injuries, sat out Denver's preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors.
He logged 18 minutes of action in his preseason debut against the Trail Blazers, tying with PJ Dozier for the lead among Nuggets bench players. The 29-year-old finished with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting and three assists in the blowout win.
Barton has previously split his playing time between shooting guard and small forward; Gary Harris started at shooting guard and Michael Porter Jr. started at small forward for the second straight game Wednesday.
Though Barton is under contract for two more seasons, the second year is a player option; a strong performance in 2020-21 would likely allow the veteran scorer to improve on the $14.7-million salary he'd otherwise be set to earn in 2021-22.
