Devin Harris is back in Dallas for the third time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. The veteran guard wasn’t gone for long, but he’s happy to be home.
“It feels great to be back,” Harris told Mavs.com. “Obviously, it’s a group I’m comfortable with. We definitely got some talent this summer. I’m excited about the group we put together.”
Harris played for the Mavs from 2004-08, and then again from 2013 until just before last season’s trade deadline, when he was traded to Denver in a three-team deal that brought Doug McDermott and a draft pick back to Dallas. The Nuggets sought to add a veteran guard to add depth and also share some wisdom with their young backcourt of Jamal Murray and Gary Harris down the stretch, as Denver found itself entrenched in a tight playoff race with Minnesota and several other clubs. The move gave Harris a chance to play significant minutes for a competitive team, while in Dallas the focus at the time was extending playing time for younger players.
“They definitely did me a favor, sending me to a situation like Denver,” Harris said. “I played meaningful basketball the second half of the season (and ended up) a game away from the playoffs. It was a fun group to be around. It was definitely a great experience for me.”
Although the Mavs were leaning more on younger players toward the end of the regular season, Harris was still heavily involved on and off the floor early in the campaign. He and J.J. Barea combined to form one of the league’s most devastating second-unit backcourts, and when those two played alongside Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks scored 111.0 points per 100 possessions in 416 minutes, according to NBA Stats. For reference, the Toronto Raptors had the third-ranked offense in the league last season, scoring at that same clip. Harris and Barea seem to operate on their own wavelength; Barea found a backdoor-cutting Harris with a quick bounce pass from the top of the arc at least once a game last season. Harris scored an absurd 1.645 points per possession on cuts last season, per Synergy Sports, thanks in large part to their connection.
Harris was also a key figure in the rookie-season development of Dennis Smith Jr. Smith said he grew up with a Harris poster hanging on his wall, and even called the midseason trade of his childhood hero his “welcome to the NBA” moment. Harris, for his part, said Smith was always a willing listener and hopes that relationship continues throughout the promising point guard’s second season.
“It’s a tribute to who he is. He’s a guy who wants to get better,” Harris said. “He’ll take any knowledge that he can get, and I was fortunate enough to give him a lot of that, especially early in the season. I think he was better for it. And we can continue to grow. He has to improve again this year, and we’ll continue to work on the things he needs to work on to get better. I enjoy playing with him, and I enjoy competing against him.”
The Mavericks added another key young player this summer in Luka Doncic, but the team is attempting to transition out of a rebuilding period and back into playoff contention. “Youth movement or not, whatever it is, we’re still trying to win games,” Harris said. Doncic might only be 19 years old, but he’s played plenty of pro basketball at a very high level overseas. The hope is, as Michael Finley said after May’s draft lottery, that the Mavericks won’t be back near the top of the draft order anytime soon. They want Doncic to be their final high pick for a while.
“I’ve seen a lot of film and a lot of highlights (of Doncic),” Harris said. “I’m excited to see what he can bring to the table. I know he’s an excellent passer, excellent pick-and-roll player, can shoot it, can do a little bit of everything.”
Then there’s DeAndre Jordan, who’s been working out with Harris in L.A. throughout the summer. Last season, Dwight Powell said Harris was instrumental in his development as a rim-runner, and Powell ended up as the most-efficient roll man in the NBA. This season, Dallas will be able to keep either Jordan or Powell on the floor for 48 minutes if Rick Carlisle wants to, although there are certainly other options available depending on matchups and game situations. That could mean big things for the Mavs guards, including Harris, who delivered an assist once every three minutes they played together last season, per NBA Stats.
“We’ve always had that type of player,” Harris said. “It’s tremendous for our offense to have that roll threat, especially with the way we space the floor.”
So, now, the band appears to be back together. The Mavs’ dynamic second-unit backcourt has been reunited, and likely alongside Nowitzki and Powell, the hope is the group can continue contributing to wins. (Last season, the Mavs were 16-25 in games when Barea, Harris, and Nowitzki played at least one second together, and 8-33 when they did not.) And after serious talent upgrades in the form on Jordan and Doncic, the pieces seem to be in place for a competitive 2018-19 season. That’s music to the Harris’s ears.
“Dirk is competitive as anybody. Myself, J.J. Harrison, Wes, the guys who have been here through this rough patch of two years, we’re excited to really move forward and try to make the playoffs,” he said.
Share and comment