The Nuggets have their "most complete basketball player" back

DENVER — After missing the Nuggets’ last 11 games with a right knee sprain/strain, starting shooting guard Gary Harris will return to Denver’s lineup tonight against the Trail Blazers.

Harris will come off the bench and play around 16-20 minutes, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said pregame. Will Barton, who’s averaging 18.5 points on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent from three, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in Harris’ absence will continue to start.

“It’s almost the same as when Paul Millsap came back,” Malone said. “Obviously, Paul was a lot different because it was 44 games and this is 11 but when you go 7-4 without Gary Harris, one you got to give credit to all of our players but also with five wins in a row, guys have kind of gotten into a rhythm, starters and guys off the bench has got a rhythm in their role.

“I know the last thing Gary wants to do is disrupt that himself. But Gary’s an important part and if we’re able to win out and make the playoffs, Gary Harris will be a very important piece in the postseason. The faster we can get him back, get him game minutes, getting him out there I think it’s only going to help him.”

After going through an extensive warmup prior to the Nuggets’ win over the Clippers on Saturday, Harris participated in 3-on-3 drills Sunday in Denver. The Nuggets’ medical staff deemed Harris good to go after watching him play and evaluating him Monday morning.

“I would temper the expectations on his effectiveness tonight,” Malone said. “We’ve been playing really good basketball, (won) five in a row. If Gary’s able to get out there and play and give us some minutes it will be great to get him out there. But by no means will we try to overdo it with him and risk kind of injuring his knee or making him uncomfortable out there.”

Sources told BSN Denver that Denver’s coaching staff will monitor Harris closely tonight and his minutes will be dependent on how he’s feeling throughout the game.

Earlier this season Malone said Harris, who’s averaging 17.7 points in a team-high 34.8 minutes per game this season, is Nuggets’ “most complete basketball player.”

Becuase of injuries, Denver’s starting lineup has only logged 345 minutes together this season. But in that time they’ve been superb. The starting five of Harris, Millsap, Jamal Murray, Wilson Chandler and Nikola Jokic has outscored their opponent by 61 points in 345 minutes. It’s Denver’s most effective lineup that’s logged a significant amount of playing time together.

That five-man combination is scoring 115.1 points per 100 possessions and surrendering an average of just 105.0 points per 100 possessions this season. Their Net Rating (point differential per 100 possessions) sits at a pristine 10.1.