Though the Denver Nuggets will just narrowly miss out on the playoffs this season, their 2016-17 campaign was littered with positives. Denver was in the playoff race till the very end, eventually losing out to the Portland Trail Blazers for that coveted eighth seed and playoff berth in the Western Conference.
A lot of the Nuggets’ success this season can be attributed to the elevated play of center Nikola Jokic, who has blossomed into an elite big right before our very eyes. However, there has been plenty of more than capable backcourt talent in Denver too, including third-year guard Gary Harris.
Considering the growth we’ve seen from Harris this year, it’s no surprise that the Nuggets are determined to sign the 22-year old to a long-term contract extension this coming summer. Following from Chris Dempsey of Altitude TV:
“I still don’t think the league appreciates how good he is and how young he is,” Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly said.
But Connelly and the Nuggets do. That’s why the Nuggets will open discussions on a lucrative contract extension for Harris this summer.
“Gary’s going to be here for a long, long time,” Connelly said…
“He’s a guy that kind of embodies everything that we’re trying to be, both as a player and as a person,” Connelly said. “Whether it’s this summer or whether it’s the following summer, he’s going to be here for a very long time.”
While Jokic has been the one getting most of the attention, Gary Harris has quietly had himself a very productive campaign in his own right and was a big part of Denver’s relevancy out West.
The Michigan State product averaged just a shade under 15 points per game this season to go along with stellar percentages of 50.3% from the field and 42% from beyond the three-point arc.
With the Nuggets intent on inking Harris long term, expect him and Jokic to make a formidable duo for years to come in Denver.
