Denver was lucky to have a talent like Alex English on their team in the 1980’s.
Denver recently celebrated the 63rd birthday of Nuggets legend Alex English. English, one of the premier players of the 80’s, was a vital part of the city of Denver.
The Broncos had John Elway, the Rockies had Todd Helton, the Avalanche had Patrick Roy, and the Nuggets had Alex English (obviously these guys were in different eras).
Alex English is the greatest Denver Nuggets player of all time. The statistics prove it. The man was a scoring machine and gave the opposition nightmares.
We cannot forget the dynamic duo he formed with his counterpart, Fat Lever, in the 1980’s willing the team to a Western Conference Finals appearance.
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Without Alex English, the Denver Nuggets would have never had the success they were able to obtain while he was in his prime.
The numbers that English put up show why he is one of the most underrated small forwards of all time.
Alex English put up tremendous numbers during his career.
English averaged 21.5 points per game during his career and he also averaged 21.3 points per game in his first year in Denver when came from Indiana.
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In his 11 seasons with the Nuggets, he averaged an outstanding 25.9 points per game to go along with a field goal percentage of about 51%. English’s advanced analytics are also very impressive.
His career offensive win share total is 77.6 and his career true shooting percentage is 55%. English’s offensive rating is also a solid 111.
On top of all this, his playoff averages are shockingly good. English possesses a career playoff points per game average of 24.4 and shot an effective field goal percentage of 50% during post season play.
Furthermore, let us not forget his solid free throw shooting either.
He shot 83% from the line during his career.
Feb 4, 2011; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Carmelo Anthony (15) walks in the tunnel of the Pepsi Center on his way back to the locker room after the Nugget lost to the Utah Jazz 113-106. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Much like Carmelo Anthony, English resurrected the Nuggets franchise.
Alex English did more for Denver than just put up great stats.
He pulled the Denver Nuggets franchise from a dark hole of constant losing and made them relevant. The Nuggets became a fixture in the playoffs during the ‘80’s and fans could always expect him to show up and be productive night in and night out.
Similar to what John Elway did when he became a part of Denver, he made the league begin taking his team seriously. Any true Nuggets fan will always appreciate English and never forget him.
Alex English is the greatest of all time for the Nuggets and most fans will agree. Some may argue that Anthony, Billups, Issell, or Mutumbo are the Nuggets’ greatest player, but at the end of the day, the clear choice is English.
The stats don’t lie.
