Way-Too-Early Projections for the Nuggets Starting Line-up
By Blake Holmes
Starting at shooting guard, standing at 6-4, from Michigan State, Gary Harris.
The coming out of Gary Harris proved to be a fun thing to watch this year. On a normal year, Harris had a great resume to win the Most Improved Player, except for this year. This year it’s a two-man race, with Giannis Antetokounmpo probably holding a slight edge over Nikola Jokic. However, that shouldn’t tarnish what a great season Harris had this year, as he demanded his respect.
He has been one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA this season, shooting at about 42 percent. That’s actually good enough for tenth in the league in that statistic (per teamrankings). I said at the beginning of the season that the Nuggets needed more three-point shooting and help, and I got that and a whole lot more.
If there was a stretch that could characterize Harris’ season, it came in a four game stretch earlier this season. During this run he played against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 22.3 points per game, and shot 50 percent from the field (per basketball-reference). He shot the ball well and with efficiency, while playing some great defense as well.
He’s probably the best defender on the entire Nuggets roster. This is normally shown, as Harris will sometimes be seen guarding the star shooting or even point guards of the league. In a game against the New Orleans Pelicans Harris was the hero at the end of the game, because of his defense. When the Pelicans were trying to get a last second shot to win, Harris batted away a pass to Boogie Cousins. He was then fouled and iced the winning two free throws of the game.
Is he the best shooting guard in the league? No, and we shouldn’t expect that. What we should expect, however, is a reliable guard who gives his all every night.