Just as intended, the trade deadline acquisition of Devin Harris has helped to steady a putrid Denver Nuggets bench.
Prior to the trade deadline, the Denver Nuggets had a major point guard problem. With Will Barton in and out of the starting lineup and Jamal Murray thriving, but positionally ambiguous, Denver seriously lacked for depth at the position.
Last summer, it looked as if the Nuggets would have plenty of depth at the point, but an (in hindsight, unwise) October waiving of veteran Jameer Nelson and the complete ineffectiveness of Emmanuel Mudiay doomed the depth chart.
The trade deadline, however, brought salvation in veteran guard Devin Harris. Harris isn’t a sexy player, and his arrival meant finally saying goodbye to whatever modicum of upside Mudiay still has, but boy, has he been a welcome addition.
Harris is no longer the All-Star he was with the New Jersey Nets — yes, Harris was among that class of bizarre selections from the mid-2000s Eastern Conference — but he’s the vetiest of vets.
Harris is a capable defender. He’d struggle mightily with the explosiveness of the plethora of star guards in today’s NBA, but as a reserve, Harris is perfectly able to stick with those guys who just don’t have quite enough athleticism to force their ways into starting lineups. He’s a good communicator who knows his opponent, always knowing whether to go over or under on screens. Harris is a smart, experienced defender.
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Offensively, it’s more of the same: steadiness. Harris’ 3-point percentage this year (34.3 percent) won’t blow you away, but he’s more of a threat than it would seem to indicate.
He is a very willing pull-up shooter from deep, which is good, because it pressures the defense by forcing Harris’ man to fight over ball screens. He’s not a great pull-up shooter, connecting at just 26.1 percent, which depresses his overall shooting numbers.
Off the catch, however, Harris is quite good, hitting at 38.7 percent. Given that Harris’ playmaking role is minimized with the Nuggets, that elevated catch-and-shoot percentage is a major plus, because Harris must be guarded off-ball, and when he’s not, he punishes the defense, despite what his overall 3-point percentage might purport.
Harris’ ability as a scorer, overall, is decent. His traditional shooting splits of .410/.343/.835 on the year might not look great, but his shot distribution is fantastic, heavily reliant on 3s and free throws, allowing him to post a solid true shooting percentage of 56 percent.
While his playmaking role has been minimized in Denver both through the offense’s inherent deemphasis of guard playmaking and his minutes aligning largely with Will Barton’s, Harris is still a very serviceable playmaker.
He can be counted on to run a smooth pick-and-roll when called upon:
Altogether, Harris’ steadiness has been a major boon for the Nuggets.
In 628 possessions with Denver’s healthy Big 3 of Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray off the court and without Devin, the team’s duct tape, out there to patch the gaping hole in the ship’s hull, the Nuggets get absolutely steamrolled, with opponents outscoring them by 13.1 points per 100 possessions.
Add Harris to that starless mix, and the Nuggets are only outscored by 8.0 points per 100 possessions, which is still terrible, but is magnitudes better. Harris doesn’t make the Nuggets’ bench good — that might be too tall a task to ask of even LeBron James — but he makes it more reasonably bad.
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The Nuggets’ bench is far from fixed, but Devin Harris has been a welcome steadying presence, exactly what a reeling second unit needed.