Gary Harris (SG, DEN) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

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Gary Harris has been one of the better stories in the NBA so far. He is has greatly improved as a player and is one of the bright spots on a young Nuggets team ticketed for the lottery once again. Despite being a first-round draft pick in 2014, Harris had an underwhelming rookie season (3.4 ppg in 55 games) and seemed to need a ton of work on his game. His sophomore campaign, however, has been a much different story. Harris has emerged as a reliable two-way player for the Nuggets and a solid contributor towards the bottom of fantasy rosters.

Statistically, Harris’ 2015-2016 season averages don’t jump off the page: 11.3 ppg/2.9 rpg/1.8 apg/46% shooting/1.3 3PM, but they are all significant improvements from his rookie season. Taking a closer look at the production of Harris shows that he has not only earned the trust of the new coaching staff in Denver (31.5 mpg), but statistically, he is on the ascent given his productive end to the month of February: (13.2 ppg over his last five, scoring in double digits in four of those contests).

One more positive outlook for Harris’ waiver status is the unfortunate injury suffered over this weekend to Nuggets star Danilo Gallinari. Earlier this season during a 6-game stretch where Gallinari missed time, Harris averaged around 34 mpg, compiling averages of 13.7 ppg/3.2 rpg/2.7 apg/1.5 3PM. It is completely in reason to expect those numbers or better for Harris who carry a much bigger offensive burden while Gallinari sits for what is expected to be several weeks.

Bottom Line: Harris is an improving NBA and fantasy asset that can contribute in multiple categories for teams over the stretch run. He doesn’t rack up rebounds or assists in abundance, and doesn’t get to the foul line as frequently as you might expect (only 1.5 FTA), but he is a player on the rise who can score, shoot it, and steal it, and just as important, get as many minutes as he can handle during the month of March. He is exactly the type of up-and-coming player with a big opportunity you want at the end of your roster for a playoff run.