Demonte Harper, Denver Nugget Summer League Player
By Len Nunes
Feb 18, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Demonte Harper joins the Denver Nuggets for the upcoming 2014 Las Vegas Summer League.Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Demonte Harper went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft. Harper’s Morehead State University teammate Kenneth Faried was selected 22nd overall by our Denver Nuggets. Two years ago, Harper and Faried would once again be teammates as both were on the 2012 Denver Nugget Las Vegas Summer League team.
Harper, a shooting guard playing behind Evan Fournier for that tournament, appeared in 4 games averaging 12.2 minutes per game. Harper would contribute averages of 4.5 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.
Wikipedia does a nice job neatly cataloguing Harper’s travels since the 2012 Summer League appearance.
NBA D-League statistics
| Team | Year | GP | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Bayhawks | 2012/13 | 50 | 22.5 | .387 | .351 | .680 | 2.46 | 2.14 | 0.84 | 0.22 | 9.04 |
Belarusian Premier League statistics
| Team | Year | GP | MPG | PTS | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RO | RD | RT | AS | PF | BS | ST | RNK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Tsmoki-Minsk | 2013/14 | 13 | 24.5 | 12.8 | .514 | .431 | .692 | .9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 12.4 |
Eurochallenge statistics
| Team | Year | GP | MPG | PTS | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RO | RD | RT | AS | PF | BS | ST | RNK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Tsmoki-Minsk | 2013/14 | 14 | 29.2 | 11.2 | .505 | .351 | .643 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 13.2 |
VTB United League statistics
| Team | Year | GP | MPG | PTS | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RO | RD | RT | AS | PF | BS | ST | RNK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Tsmoki-Minsk | 2013/14 | 17 | 29.2 | 10.1 | .421 | .346 | .636 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 7.1 |
From looking at the stats, free throw shooting is not a forte of Demonte Harper as it is always under 70%. He finished Morehead State University with only a 70.1% from the free throw line. Put in perspective, Evan Fournier had the worst free throw shooting percentage amongst Denver Nugget guards last season at 75.6.
Listed at 6-4, 188lbs, Demonte Harper is the smallest of four shooting guards listed. Denver’s 2013 46th overall draft pick Erick Green, is listed as just a guard but will likely see sometime at the two. Green is listed three pounds lighter than Harper. Green being drafted by the Nuggets instead of just being an invite like Harper is, likely makes him the much bigger target for valuable floor minutes. Unless, of course, Kenneth Faried has some LeBron James-like pull behind the scenes.