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NBA Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets’ Gary Harris Needs To Be In The Rotation

By @courtzierk

Getty Images

Getty Images

It had a storybook feel to it. Gary Harris returns home to Indianapolis to make his professional debut as a member of the Denver Nuggets, against theIndiana Pacers, a team he presumably grew up watching throughout his childhood.

It turned out to be everything Harris could have hoped for, as he played 18 minutes, scored 13 points, brought down three rebounds, dished out two assists and came up with two steals. In what amounted to by far the best performance of the Nuggets’ young season, Harris at times looked like the best player on the court.

Through the first seven games, Brian Shaw kept Harris not only off of the court, but out of a uniform altogether, as he sat inactive on the sideline. Also, through those first seven games, the Nuggets put together some of the NBA’s worst shooting and defensive performances, two areas in particular Harris excels in, as he demonstrated on Friday night.

Shaw’s decision to keep Harris inactive was due in large part to the perceived need for depth among his bigs to account for tough matchups against players like DeMarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge, Serge Ibaka, and Andre Drummond. As a result, rookie Jusuf Nurkic logged many of the minutes that would have been available to Harris had he been active. Friday night, with Randy Foye out of the lineup with a knee injury, Harris was activated for the first time this season

While I understand Shaw’s line of thinking, I think this decision may have been counterproductive for what the Nuggets really need to be focused on, and that is attacking the rim, solidifying their perimeter defense and improving their shooting proficiency.

Given Harris’ outstanding performance in his debut, Foye’s role on this team immediately gets called into question, as do the number of minutes Nurkic will see the remainder of the season. There is no way Shaw can justify not playing Harris now that he has seen what he is capable of in real game action. He was active defensively, shot 60 percent from the floor and his explosiveness was put on display when he drove baseline to dunk over Ian Mahinmi in the third quarter.

I really like what I have seen out of Nurkic early on — he is second in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes — but I don’t see a need to emphasize his growth over Harris. Nurkic is only 20 and there is plenty of time to help him solidify his fundamentals and understanding of NBA basketball.

For now, Harris needs the minutes as much as the Nuggets need his abilities on the court. He has the potential to become a very solid NBA player — think O.J. Mayo without the motivation problems — and he has forced Shaw’s hand with his breakout performance.

Court Zierk is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourtZierk, “Like”him on Facebook or add him onGoogle

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