Denver Nuggets: Are Emmanuel Mudiay And Gary Harris The Future?

Young Denver Nuggets guards Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris have played well when nobody was looking. Can they get even better?

Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris are a part of a solid foundation in Denver. This season, the 20-year-old Mudiay and 21-year-old Harris have averaged the second- and third-most minutes on the team, and while that usually equals bad news for a team’s record, it’s good news for the team’s future.

Ever since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, the Denver Nuggets organization let it be known that a new day was beginning. Mudiay was drafted seventh overall, the highest Denver Nuggets draft pick since Carmelo Anthony was taken third in the 2003 draft.

Blessed with a 6’5″, 200-pound frame and terrific passing vision, the Congolese guard set a high bar on his play in the 2015-16 season. The expectations for a star to return to Denver were heightened, with the bulk of the weight on Mudiay’s shoulders.

Throughout the first few months of the season, Mudiay struggled to adjust to the point guard position in the NBA. The most difficult elements of his game to transition were his field goal percentage and his ball security, but as the season has progressed, he has made great strides in changing the narrative.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Denver Nuggets

Take look at Mudiay’s progression month by month:

*Mudiay played just five games in December before sustaining an ankle injury.

His recent showing in Cleveland aside, Mudiay has lived up to his draft status in Denver. His shooting numbers in each month are trending up, as is his assist-to-turnover Ratio. Starting nearly every

game has truly helped him, as he has played multiple games against Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and other top point guards.

One of Mudiay’s weaknesses coming into the season has been his outside shooting, and for a 19-year-old with little discernible jump shot initially, this was always going to be an issue. In the month of March, though, Mudiay has raised his three-point percentage to a strong 40.0 percent, going 18-for-45 during that stretch.

This is a tremendous improvement and a stretch of hot shooting that ranges outside of what has been perceived normal for the young guard. Whether Mudiay has truly improved his outside shot will be discovered as soon as next season, but the recent stretch of shooting is a very good sign.

In spite of this, the 40.5 percent from the field that Mudiay has shot in March is still too low. Two point guards that Mudiay’s style of play has been compared to, John Wall and Westbrook, shoot 42.8 percent and 45.5 percent respectively.

This is the target range that Mudiay should aspire to reach, and while those players are All-Star caliber guards, that is the ceiling that Mudiay has created for himself, so everyone should hold him to that expectation.

Harris is another entity altogether. After a subpar rookie year in which many fans and analysts wrote him off as a bust, Harris has thrived in a role as the starter at shooting guard, especially lately. Averaging 12.1 points per game a year after averaging 13.1 minutes per game is a massive leap, and Harris has accomplished it in several ways.

• Harris has become a threat on the perimeter, and while his percentage has gone down, he still averages a solid 34.4 percent from three-point range.
• His off-ball back door cut is among the best in the game.
• He takes the ball strong to the rim, averaging 61.2 percent at the rim, according to Basketball Reference

Harris also excels in his defensive effort and acumen. While he doesn’t grade out well in the advanced metric department, the Nuggets have felt comfortable using Harris to guard the opposing team’s best offensive guard or wing, including the likes of Curry, Westbrook, Damian Lillard, James Harden, and even Paul George.

While his height has been called into question given that many players can shoot over him, Harris has demonstrated a willingness and desire to play defense with maximum effort. Also, with Mudiay’s size at the point guard position, Harris’ size at shooting guard becomes less of a factor.

Does Harris project as quite the player Mudiay does down the line? It’s very difficult to say yes, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the potential to be a high-quality starter. In the ideal world, Harris keeps raising his volume and in turn raises his percentages up close to the 45/40/85 level as his prime rolls around.

He’s only 21, but due to the way he carries himself like a veteran, many people forget that. His prime will likely coincide with Mudiay’s as well, meaning that the Nuggets will have two backcourt players playing at their peaks. This bodes well for the future.

Overall, Mudiay looks the part of a future cornerstone to carry the team in the coming years. This may not happen immediately, but when he figures it out, the Nuggets will reap the rewards. Harris may not quite reach that ceiling, but it doesn’t mean that he cannot be a quality starter. The good news is, the Nuggets have a long time to figure out who should play the most minutes.

More hoops habit: The NBA's 50 Greatest Duos Of All-Time

Mudiay and Harris look like the best candidates right now, and they should be the backcourt for the foreseeable future unless a legitimate star is obtainable.