For the second time this year, Gary Harris will be guarding Klay Thompson.
With the Denver Nuggets coming into Golden State, Gary Harris will be matching up with one of the premier two way players of the league.
Klay Thompson is arguably the second best player on the Warriors, (before you freak out, I said arguably.) Gary did a solid job containing C.J. McCollum in the last game holding him to a less than stellar field goal percentage. However, Thompson is more experienced and has had more time to refine his offensive and defensive prowess.
There is a reason Klay is considered part of the Splash Brothers along with Steph Curry. On the other hand, Harris is Denver’s premier two way player on the perimeter. While his advanced defensive analytics have taken a bit of a hit, he is still being a scrappy defender getting nearly a couple of steals per game.
It ‘s his offense which continues to get better in an impressive fashion. He is averaging a career high in points per game this season and has now embraced passing the ball more. His assists numbers are up and it has immensely helped the offense and their ball movement.
Without Steph Curry, expect Klay to get more opportunities and more plays to be ran through him. Harris will have his hands full, but he has shown he can keep up with the best of them and keep Denver in the game when they fall behind.
Thompson is no slouch of a defender either. The Nuggets will have to free up Gary with some off ball screens and find ways to get him cutting to the rim. The reason is Klay is one of, if not, the best on ball defender in the league.
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If Gary gets open looks, he can at least get it off with his quick release. Otherwise, things will not go well for the Nuggets.