Denver Nuggets: What must happen for Gary Harris to win Most Improved Player

Of all the Denver Nuggets, one player in particular seems to be tailor made for winning the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

That particular player would be Gary Harris. Everyone within the Denver Nuggets’ faithful now knows of Harris’ terrific work ethic and how he has worked his way up from “underdog status,” from his rookie season to where he is at now.

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Harris is now arguably the second or third best player on the roster and has significantly improved every year of his career. Do not believe me, check the stats from basketball reference.

His rookie year saw him only score 3.4 points per game. This average jumped in his second season all the way to 12.3 points per game. Since then, he has not averaged less than double figures in the points department.

Not to mention, he is an extremely valuable defensive asset and averaged nearly two steals per game last season. After last season, there is no reason to think Harris will not improve anymore.

With that in mind, he should be creeping up in some Most Improved Player conversations. In order for him to win the award, a couple things need to occur.

For one, he needs to up his scoring average to 20 points per game or higher. The elite shooting guards in today’s league, (Harden, Thompson, McCollum, Oladipo) average around 20 points. If he can do this, then the voters will have to take notice of his scoring impact. He averaged 17.5 points per game last year.

Also, he needs to stay a legitimate two way player. His defensive ability will only help his case, especially if he continues to average around two steals per game.

Finally, he needs to work on his ability to score off the dribble. He is an adept jump shooter and gets plenty of looks from Jokic passes, but if he can become a more versatile scorer, then it will be all she wrote.

With these three aspects, Gary Harris can make a solid case for being the Most Improved Player next season.