National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets: Gary Harris Tears Groin- Out 4-to-6 Weeks

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:35 p.m. ET

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Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris (14) in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Nuggets guard Gary Harris suffered a partially torn groin muscle during the teams preseason opener versus Toronto on Monday according to multiple reports.

The Verticals Adrian Wojnarowski said via twitter that Harris is expected to miss approximately 4-to-6 weeks with the injury, forcing him out of action for the start of the regular season, which kicks off against the Pelicans on October 26.

When asked at practice, head coach Michael Malone said Harris wouldn’t be back ‘for a couple of weeks.’

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Harris, who is coming onto his third season in the league, is set to play a key role in the Nuggets pursuit of the playoffs this upcoming season.

Starting alongside Mudiay in the backcourt, Harris posted 6 points on 2-3 shooting in only 10 minutes of action on Monday before injuring his groin. During his short stint, Harris beat every player down the floor multiple times, creating easy baskets for Denver.

Harris is a prototypical ‘3 and D’ type shooting guard that NBA teams now covet. He made 35% of his three point attempts last season while often drawing the oppositions best wing on defense.

His subtraction from the team will be felt on both sides of the ball, and coach Malone and his staff will have to figure out how to replace his impact.

Oct 3, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) passes the ball under pressure from Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) during the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Saddledome. Denver won 108-106. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Solution

With seven more preseason games to come for Denver, Malone will be able to experiment with a number of different line up replacements for Harris.

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Rookie Jamal Murray is a candidate to step into the starting line up alongside Emmanuel Mudiay. The first year player would offer up a major scoring punch and get some highly anticipated game time early on in the season. With the Nuggets being deep at every position, opportunity for game time may be scarce for Murray this year, so getting time on the court early on could be key for his development.

The Nuggets could also employ a duel point guard line up and opt for Jameer Nelson, however that would leave the bench a little thin at the position.

If the Nuggets wanted to go even taller than they currently are, Mike Miller, Will Barton and, Wilson Chandler could all step into the other guard slot for Denver.

Malik Beasley was impressive in his limited playing time in the Nuggets preseason opener against Toronto, posting 9 points on perfect 4-4 shooting in 10 minutes. If Denver wanted to use Jamal Murray in a 6th man type role, Beasley could also find himself playing valuable minutes in the new NBA season.

Whatever head coach Michael Malone opts to do in the absence of Gary Harris, he has plenty of options that vary in what they bring to the table.

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