Denver Nuggets’ 2016-’17 Team Awards Midway Through the Season
The Nuggets Defensive Player of the Year, so far is…
Defensive Player: Gary Harris AND Wilson Chandler
Co-recipients? Really? Isn’t that a bit of a cop-out? Okay sure, it probably is, but I simply couldn’t decide between the two.
Watching Gary Harris play defense is fun. He is a nuisance to his direct opponent and is quite aggressive in getting right up into the body of his offensive counterpart. He has lightning quick hands and the ability to defend positions 1-3 comfortably.
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He is an acute observer and appears to know when and where to give help defense and what to do when he is on the weak side defensively. Harris is averaging just 0.8 steals per contest, however that is good enough for second on the squad and it certainly feels like he averages more.
Yes, Gary Harris has only played 18 out of a possible 40 games so far this season, but that actually works in his favor when it comes to making a decision on this award.
The Nuggets have been amiss defensively, especially as of late. They currently feature the leagues second worst defensive rating at 110.1 and have given up over 100 points in 17 consecutive game, dating back to December 10. Opponents are shooting 47% from the field against Denver which equates to the second highest percentage in the league behind the Lakers.
If Harris had have been healthy the entire season, it’s hard to see the team’s defense being this bad. However, I am heavily relying on the eye test rather than statistics.
In the case of Wilson Chandler, being arguably the teams best defender essentially comes down to his ability to defend all five positions on the floor. He has also come up clutch in late game situations defensively and Wilson also does an amazing job when hedging on opponents screens.