Nuggets eagerly awaiting Gary Harris's return

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The Denver Nuggets dropped their second straight game in pretty much the same fashion as their home opener, falling to the Toronto Raptors 105-102. In another closely contested game, the Nuggets lacked a go-to scorer at the end of the game, leading to an Emmanuel Mudiay three-point attempt missing the mark for the potential tie.

What’s lost in translation is the play from rookie and No. 7 overall pick Jamal Murray or lack thereof. Granted it’s his rookie season and Murray’s adjusting to NBA action on the fly, the Kentucky product has failed to record a basket in Denver’s first three games, shooting 0-of-8 from the field.

Murray is just 19-years-old. However, it seems as if the NBA game is a tad bit too fast for him right now. As of Tuesday night, in a small sample size of course, Murray has recorded just two points in 12.3 minutes per contest — both free throws. Those two points are tied for 34th among rookies which is dead last. Murray’s slow start combined with Will Barton’s ankle sprain, which he suffered Monday night against Toronto, shows a void at shooting guard and Denver’s need to get Gary Harris back healthy and into the lineup.

Harris suffered a partially torn groin muscle on Oct. 3 against the  Toronto Raptors in preseason action. Harris was reportedly expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, a timeline which this week entered week five.

The 23-year-old was far better after the All-Star break than prior to, a clear demonstration of the progress he has made. Harris averaged 14.3 points on 48.0% shooting, adding 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals to his credit over the second half of last year. Harris could also be a nice help to Denver at the charity stripe where he shot 82.0 percent last year, something that has plagued the Nuggets early on.

Denver currently ranks 13th in the league in free-throw shooting at 77.6 percent.

When Harris was injured back on Oct. 3, coach Michael Malone noted that Denver’s depth could compensate for the loss of the Nuggets shooting guard who started all 76 of the games he appeared in last year.

“From what I’m hearing it could be up to four weeks, and that’s being positive,” Malone said at the time of the injury. “It’s unfortunate. Gary had a tremendous summer, he was playing great for us. That’s the value of having such great depth. It will be a great opportunity for some of our young guys to play meaningful minutes early in the season if that’s the case.”

Denver suffered a blow to that depth in their loss to Toronto Monday night as Will Barton left the game which he later described as a “mid-ankle sprain.”

In three games this season, Barton is averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 35.3 minutes. Not to mention, Denver’s sixth-man off the bench last year is shooting 50.0% from the field, including 57.1% from three. A potentially huge blow for the current five-game road trip the Nuggets find themselves on.

The Nuggets need everyone to take on more of a minutes burden as they await Barton’s return, but if Harris can’t go Thursday at Minnesota, Murray and others on the Denver roster need to step up.