This Season Could Be Make Or Break For Gary Harris

Gary Harris has grown into a productive player for the Denver Nuggets, but with so many options at his position, he must do something to separate himself.

Gary Harris took a huge leap forward last season. After a rookie year that saw him average just 3.4 points per game in 13.1 minutes of play, his role was increased quite a bit in his sophomore season.

Harris’ minutes jumped to 32.1 per game and his scoring ballooned to a solid average of 12.3. This cemented him as, at the very least, a good role player for the Denver Nuggets. And if he takes another step forward this year, he could potentially become one of their primary scorers.

However, in what should have been a year in which Harris could comfortably attempt to improve his game, he’ll have plenty of added pressure to perform. The Nuggets are unbelievably deep at the shooting guard position.

This wasn’t necessarily the case before this year’s draft, but with Denver spending two first-round picks on shooting guards Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley, the position has become rather crowded.

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While Harris is undoubtedly the most proven and talented player at the position right now, he’ll need to keep proving his worth if he wants to remain the starter in coming years.

Fending off the competition should be a theme for Harris this upcoming season. One such competitor, arguably the main one, is Jamal Murray. While Murray will have some hurdles to get over in his rookie season, he probably has more upside than Harris does.

There’s a legitimate chance Murray proves to be a well-rounded and consistent scoring option sooner rather than later, and that could be bad news for Harris.

The fact that head coach Michael Malone had to come out and say Harris would remain the starter despite Murray being drafted is telling. It’s a sign that despite being the incumbent starter, Harris hasn’t done enough to be an unquestioned starter in the eyes of the media and the fans.

If Murray acclimates himself to the NBA quickly, there’s no question the fan base will be clamoring for him to start even if Harris plays like he did last year. Harris needs to up his game rather than stay stagnant.

The other guys at the position aren’t as much of an immediate threat, but they could challenge Harris down the line. Denver used a first-round pick on Malik Beasley despite using an earlier one on Murray.

That could mean they’re hoping for more production out of the shooting guard position and are willing to make moves to get it. While Beasley is unlikely to be as immediately productive as Murray, he was a first-round pick for a reason.

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The former Florida State star was also a marksman from behind the arc, shooting 39 percent in his lone season with the Seminoles en route to 15.6 points per game.

In addition to the rookies, Denver also has a returning Will Barton at shooting guard. Barton made a reasonable bid for Sixth Man of the Year last season by averaging 14.4 points per game off the bench.

If he averaged more points than Harris last season with less playing time, what could he do for an encore? He could be the dark horse to possibly supplant Harris in the near future.

More than anything, the key for Harris is to get better. He simply can’t continue to produce just 12 points per game and expect to remain the starter for the foreseeable future. There’s a ton of talent behind him waiting to scoop up any and every opportunity.

With the logjam in place at shooting guard for the Nuggets, it could be a dog fight, albeit a friendly one, over who becomes the focal point at the position down the line.

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Even though he’s the returning starter, the 2016-17 season could very well be make or break for the Michigan State product.