Denver Nuggets: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) walks off the court after the overtime loss of their winner-take-all regular-season finale vs the Minnesota Timberwolves 112 -106 at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. April 11, 2018 Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

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Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images /

5. Gary Harris had a breakout season

Gary Harris missed some time down the stretch with a knee injury, but it shouldn’t diminish his contributions this season for the Denver Nuggets. Harris was Denver’s best player outside of Nikola Jokic and he stepped up in a big way in the absence of Paul Millsap.

Harris averaged 17.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in 2017-18. He shot 48.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from the 3-point arc, two numbers that decreased since last season but spoke to his willingness to shoot the ball more.

He achieved a career-high 36 points twice this season — once against the Boston Celtics in a 124-118 loss in December and again in January in a 134-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Harris was 16-of-25 (64 percent) from the floor against Boston and 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) from the field against Phoenix.

In 2016-17, Harris averaged 11.2 field goals per contest. This season, he averaged 13.6 field goals per game, most on the team. The uptick in Harris’ play could very easily be contributed to the four-year, $84 million extension he signed back in October. Regardless, he earned his keep this year as one of the team’s top performers.

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