Now that the sting of another first round playoff bust has begun to fade, I’d like to take a few moments to write about one positive thing the Nuggets can take away from this season.

J.R. Smith is growing up.

Coming off a rough year which included the Knicks brawl, a dreadful playoff performance and a car accident that left a friend deceased, J.R. has made some incredible progress. His on- and off-court decision making is much improved, he's displaying tremendous effort on both ends of the court (even if his defensive game still needs some work), and most importantly, he's embracing the teachings of his coaches. As a result, he is no longer a permanent resident in George Karl's dog house, and he's developed into one of the top 6th men in the league.

He's always been able to score from anywhere on the court, but this year he's demonstrated a heightened awareness and willingness to drive to the basket when his 3-pointer isn't falling. He's now harnessing every bit of his tremendous athletic ability and, thus, taking his game to the next level.

Sure he's still inconsistent, but he's also only 22 years old, and he'll continue to improve as he matures. Now that he's disposed of his security blanket (headband), there's nowhere to go but up.