Nuggets guard, Gary Harris, is available to play in Game 6 on Sunday after nearly missing five months with a hip injury.
Harris, who struggled offensively for Denver this season, averaged 10 PPG and 2 APG while shooting 33 percent from 3-point range. Harris has averaged the worst offensive numbers since his rookie season in 2014. After his solid 2017-2018 campaign where he averaged 17.5 PPG and shot 39% from deep – Harris has taken a step back with shooting consistency – shooting 33 percent from 3-point range in his past two seasons.
However, Harris has unfortunately had to deal with a wide variety of injuries since his promising 2017-2018 season. Hip, shin, groin, and adductor injuries have sidelined Harris for about 42 games in the past two seasons, making it hard to get into a consistent groove and play at a high level.
Defensively, Harris remains a threat on the perimeter – being able to slow down driving players and pick pockets with precision. Though he was painful to watch at most times this season, Harris is the perfect player Denver needs at the moment. He’s a defender who can lockdown players on the wing and understands defensive rotations.
In their past three games, Utah has shot 47 percent from behind the arc, one of the main reasons the Jazz held a 3-1 lead in the series. With someone as solid as Harris guarding the perimeter, the Nuggets now solely focus on defending the Donovan Mitchell pick&roll – instead of scrambling to close out open shooters. No matter how disappointing Harris was this season, it never hurts to welcome back one of the initial building blocks for this team. I can’t wait to see how Gary performs in tonight’s game vs. Utah.
The Nuggets remain on the outside looking in as they try to make a full comeback against the Utah Jazz. Game six tips off at 8:30 P.M. ET.