Denver Nuggets: 5 Injured Players’ Potential and Status
Gary is out with a hip injury.
Gary Harris went down on December 8th against Toronto with what has been termed a “hip injury”. It’s starting to feel like an NHL injury report, intentionally vague. His demeanor after the injury leads us to believe that his is similar to what happened to Will Barton.
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The official timetable for his return was listed at 3-4 weeks, so a return at the very end of December or beginning of January is what’s expected. It might be wise to target the January 7th contest versus the Houston Rockets for a Harris return. Leading up to that game, the Nuggets have a mostly favorable schedule and can stay afloat without Harris’ services.
Houston is a different story, even with Torrey Craig performing his defensive wizardry (looking right at you, Russell Westbrook), the Denver Nuggets will need help against the Houston backcourt.
We love that Harris spaces the floor, that he can shoot and he can drive (and dive) to the basket but his biggest contribution to the starting unit is on the defensive end. Harris, like Craig is matched with the best player in the opponents backcourt. That includes names like James Harden, Klay Thompson, CJ McCollum, Lou Williams, Devin Booker, Russell Westbrook……on and on. Gary’s ability to defend and keep up offensively make him invaluable to the Nuggets roster.
While Torrey Craig has played great, possibly even garnering player-of-the-game honors against the Thunder on Friday, his offensive output can be inconsistent as evidenced by his season three point shooting percentage (.229). Craig has a lot to offer and is an integral part of the lineup but Harris is necessary to the Nuggets aspirations for postseason success.
As it stands he may be the most important though the decision between he and another injured Nugget was a tough call: