Denver Nuggets: Gary Harris salvageable for Nuggets

Much of the energy around Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris has involved disappointment in his underwhelming offense. What if this changed?

What’s to be made of Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris, who seemingly saw his offensive game yanked from beneath his feet these past two seasons? Can Space Jam’s Monstars steal talent from just one end of the court? Or has Harris’ role offensively been reduced to an unmanageable degree, causing poor rhythm and an unclear identity?

Harris has been exceptional on the defensive end this season, making life miserable for the likes of Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Luka Doncic. Harris is averaging a team-best 1.4 steals per game this season, dogging top opposing guards with his strength, athleticism and tenacity.

Most teams want at least one lock-down defender to bottle up top opposing scorers, someone to ensure they don’t explode for 50 points. For Denver, Gary Harris is very much that guy, as he showed in the playoffs.

Take last postseason, for example, when Damian Lillard entered the conference semifinals perhaps the league’s hottest player, averaging 33.0 points per game on a scorching 47.0 percent from 3-point range in the first round. Thanks to Harris, Lillard didn’t continue this insanity, instead shooting just 27.0 percent from deep against Denver. Slowing Lillard in the playoffs is a serious deal, as only a handful of defenders can contain him as Harris did.

That’s Harris’ defense. Offensively, however, he’s averaging just 10.4 points per game this season, shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. These marks are five-year lows for Gary, the worst numbers of his career outside his rookie campaign.

Per Basketball-Reference, Harris is shooting a particularly poor 23.4 percent from between 3-and-10 feet away, many of these misses coming by way of the extended floater.

The Nuggets have seemingly lost confidence in Harris, as his 9.3 shot attempts per game is also the lowest since his rookie season.

Harris has one factor going for him, however: He was a deadly 3-point shooter at one point, knocking down 42.0 percent of 3-point tries in 2016-17 and 39.6 percent in 2017-18. His offense was extremely valuable at a time, spacing the floor for teammates and punishing defenses for leaving him.

It’s the catch-and-shoot 3-point game that can spark an offensive revival for Harris.

The Nuggets have seen many nights when superstar Nikola Jokic’s slick kick-outs are left unconverted, as the 3-point shooting around him has proven inconsistent this season. Harris’ best practice would be primarily spotting up in the corner, ready to bury the catch-and-shoot three.

No more heavily contested pull-up shots and no more playmaking, as there are others to handle these duties. And please, no more extended floaters.

It’s not a stretch to say Harris has seen too much offensive variety and too little volume these last couple years. Now everything’s gone to hell on the attacking end, and Harris is left with no offensive identity, teammate trust or self-confidence. It’s time to change all this.

While some might argue Harris spending significant time in the corner is lazy, it’s a smart basketball strategy. If Harris lines up parallel to Jokic and proves knockdown ability, defenses will constantly be forced to pick between single-covering Jokic and leaving Harris open for three.

And Harris’ percentage will climb in this role. Why?

When Harris was a strong 3-point shooter between 2016-18, the catch-and-shoot game was his main role offensively. There wasn’t much in the way of dribble-hand-offs, floaters or contested jumpers off the dribble. Primary job: Catch-and shoot. Secondary job: Cut to the hoop around Jokic. It wasn’t fancy then, and it doesn’t need to be now.

The Nuggets have ample scorers outside of Harris, so they only need him to be a deep-ball threat as a fourth or fifth scoring option. He’s strong enough defensively to warrant a long-term starting spot if he can at least hold water on the attacking end.

Simplifying Harris’ offensive game is a huge step to getting him back on track. His slump began when new offensive elements were added, and eliminating them is his best chance at returning to form.

Here’s to the 3-and-D Harris, a guy who’s seemingly vanished but hasn’t gone anywhere. Once a shooter, always a shooter.