NBA: 10 candidates for bounce-back seasons in 2019-20

9. Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets

After gradually ascending over his first four seasons in the league, Gary Harris took a large step backwards last season. While he has missed time in the past due to injury, this was by far the most frustrating season, with Harris enduring three separate absences on the way to missing 25 games for the season.

As a result, the 25-year-old averaged 12.9 points in 28.8 minutes per game, his lowest playing time since his rookie year. Additionally, Harris’ usual high-efficiency took a hit, with his .424/.329/.799 shooting splits well below his .485/.396/.827 the season prior.

With a combination of hip, hamstring and ankle injuries, Harris was unable to live up the first year of four-year, $84 million contract extension that he signed on the eve of the 2017-18 season.

To get a real view of Harris’ true effectiveness, one just needs to look back to the 2017-18 season, when the former Michigan State star averaged a career-high 17.4 points per game at the above excellent efficiency, ranking second on the team in scoring behind center Nikola Jokic.

Furthermore, among all guards who played at least 65 games averaging at least 30 minutes per game that year, Harris ranked third in effective field goal percentage and sixth in true shooting percentage.

Despite his struggles last season, Harris nonetheless managed to record the second highest net rating on the Nuggets’ roster among their regular rotation, with his 105.3 defensive rating the best among their regular starting five.

Considering the rise of the Nuggets last season, and the strides he made up until that point, look for Harris to record a substantial bounce-back season in his sixth year in the league.