Denver Nuggets: Wilson Chandler Hasn’t Lost A Step

Wilson Chandler has missed plenty of action throughout his career due to injury, but he’s playing his best basketball in 2016-17 with the Denver Nuggets

Wilson Chandler missed the entire 2015-16 season after getting hip surgery. This is just one of the litany of injuries he has suffered during his career. He has only played a full season once. That was during his second season in 2008-09.

Forget about his injuries with the Knicks, he has gone through plenty just as a member of the Denver Nuggets.

On February 11, 2011, the New York Knicks traded Wilson Chandler to the Denver Nuggets. This was apart of the Carmelo Anthony deal. During his time with the Nuggets in 2011, Chandler struggled and didn’t produce as much as he did in New York.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

• Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
• NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
• Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
• Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
• NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24

In August 2011, Wilson Chandler signed with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the CBA. This was because of the NBA lockout. Chandler didn’t return to the NBA until after the All-Star break. On March 18, 2012, he re-signed with the Nuggets for five years.

Last season wasn’t the first time Chandler had to get surgery on his hip. Eight games into his 2011-12 season, he suffered a labral tear in his left hip.

Some of Wilson Chandler’s other injuries as a Nugget include a pulled hamstring, left hip strain, sore left adductor, knee soreness, and a couple of sore hamstrings.

Even with all the setbacks, Wilson Chandler still produces. This season he is averaging 16 points and 6.7 rebounds. It’s no secret that Wilson Chandler can score the basketball. Earlier in the season he was one of the top candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone has fiddled with his lineups all season. Over the last six games, Mike Malone had Wilson Chandler in the starting lineup. During this stretch Chandler is averaging 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Wilson Chandler posted a career-high 36 points earlier this week in a 108-96 victory against Sacramento. It’s almost like he never got injured. He made his return this season and is arguably playing the best basketball of his career.

The Denver Nuggets currently sit at the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They have some good young talent but have yet to put it all together. Despite being in the playoffs, they are still six games under .500. No team in the Western Conference with a record under .500 has made the playoffs since the L.A. Clippers in 1996-97.

If the Nuggets hold on to the eighth spot, they will be the first Western Conference team to do so in 20 years. Obviously there is also a possibility of things coming together and them getting their record above .500.

Must Read: 2017 NBA Draft: Ranking The Top 5 Overall Prospects

With 18 games left, Wilson Chandler will be looking to help Denver stay in the playoff race. Still scoring like there were never any injuries to begin with, it’s clear that nothing can hold Wilson Chandler back.