The Denver Nuggets juggled minutes among their young guards to start the season, but Gary Harris has emerged as their X-factor down the stretch.
The Denver Nuggets have been adding to their stable of talented guards for a couple of years now. It started in 2014, when the Nuggets drafted Doug McDermott and promptly traded him to Chicago for the 16th and 19th picks in that year's draft.
Those picks turned into two familiar names: Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris.
Harris only started six games his rookie year, playing behind some combination of Arron Afflalo–Ty Lawson–Wilson Chandler. But the following season, Harris emerged as a valuable young player, scoring 12.3 points in 32 minutes per game while picking up 76 starts.
Harris made a notable jump in efficiency, increasing his improving his slash line from 30.4/20.4/75.5 to 46.9/35.4/82.
Harris was beginning to emerge as the starting 2 guard going forward, so it made sense when the Nuggets took a flier on Emmanuel Mudiay in the 2015 draft. With hopes of creating a quality young frontcourt for years to come, the Nuggets appeared set at the guard positions.
That's why last year's draft was so intriguing.
"With the seventh pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets select: Jamal Murray, of Kitchener, Canada, and the University of Kentucky."
I was actually there in Brooklyn when Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Denver had selected yet another guard. The Nuggets weren't done either. They selected Malik Beasley with the 19th pick, another shooting guard, this time from Florida State.
Denver found themselves with a roster overflowing with young talented guards. Between Mudiay, Will Barton, and now both Murray and Beasley, Harris' starting spot appeared to be in jeopardy.
Although No. 14 has started 41 games this year, Denver spent the early part of the season experimenting by handing out large chunks of playing time to various front court combinations. In fact, their starters have only played 186 minutes together.
Gary was serviceable in the first half of the season, but he's stepped up since the All-Star break and effectively ended any talk of a position battle.
Denver still appears keen on finding playing time for Murray, but they haven't been playing any of their guards at the expense of Harris lately and a quick glance at his pre/post All-Star game splits shows us why.
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Prior to the break, Harris was averaging 13.4 points on 10.5 attempts and 28.7 minutes a game, while his splits read 47.5/42.1/74. Through 11 games since the All-Star game, the former Spartan is averaging 16.5 points on 12.4 attempts and 33.3 minutes per game.
His new slash line? 52.2/42.2/86.7. Harris' plus/minus has also jumped from 1.1 to 5.8.
Harris is in the midst of the best stretch of his young NBA career. This could not have come at a better time, as the Nuggets are clinging desperately to eighth place in the West.
They've already missed some time from key players in the second half, forcing other guys to step up and produce. Harris has answered the call.
In the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday, the Nuggets traveled to Sacramento. Tired legs appeared to be the theme of the game, but not for Harris.
This guy has lit a spark underneath the Nuggets for the last 11 games. Everyone knows what Danilo Gallinari and Nikola Jokic can do offensively, but Harris provides something more. Active and engaged on the defensive end, Harris makes the type of hustle plays that win games.
In their win over Boston back on March 10, Jokic made this excellent pass to a cutting Chandler:
Harris made that play happen. Undoubtedly, it was a heads up play from the Serbian Sensation. But Harris hustled for the offensive board and created a second-chance opportunity. That's just the kind of player that he has become in this third season.
Monday night, Harris was at it again, finding different ways to contribute this time. He struggled from the field—going 4-of-15 and only scoring 12 points—but that didn't stop him from being productive.
He finished the game with three steals, seven assists and a plus/minus of plus-17 — the highest among Denver's starters.
I suggest that you keep your eyes on Harris. His hustle and his ability to score in spurts might just be the deciding factor in this playoff race. Moving forward, one of these young guards will probably have to go. It shouldn't be Harris.
He may not be a sexy name like Mudiay or Murray, but Denver may have struck gold with this kid.
