The Orlando Magic opened Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz with a relatively simple play.
Wendell Carter handed the ball to Paolo Banchero near the top of the key and began crashing toward the paint. Banchero followed him towards the basket. When the weakside defender stepped up, Banchero slid it to Gary Harris.
Big mistake leaving the veteran open. He drained all three, one of three the veteran made and one of two he hit to open the game and give the Magic some early offensive life.
The Magic won’t ask Harris to do much more offensively than that. His role is to be available and ready to shoot when the ball comes to him. They know and trust that he will make the right decision in those moments and not abuse the green light he has as one of the team’s few shooters. He is not here to create.
That’s not to say Harris doesn’t have a lot of importance in all aspects of the game.
Orlando is short on shooters. There is a lack of experienced players in the playoffs. And the team can always use stronger defenders who understand the team concept.
Harris checks all those boxes. And, as the team gets serious about its playoff pursuit, Harris is starting to come back alive in the midst of (another) injury-filled season. And just in time.
“I’m just trying to go out there and win games,” Harris said after practice Saturday. “Whether I’m starting, whether I’m coming off the bench, it doesn’t matter. I just try to play winning basketball, no matter what it is. I feel like that’s what makes our team so great. good. We could have 10 guys in the starting lineup, being able to go out there, play your minutes, play hard and try to be the best teammates when you’re out there.
Harris is averaging just 7.2 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season. He is making 36.9% of his 3-point shots on just 3.8 attempts per game. Harris has never been a volume shooter and the Magic had to mix and match lineups as the team dealt with injuries at the point guard position and to Harris himself.
Since returning from injury on February 2, Harris is still only averaging 7.3 points per game, but he is making 48.5 percent of his 3-pointers on 3.3 attempts per game. Like the rest of the team, Harris may not take a ton, but he’s doing them now.
Being a starter also helped.
In 10 games as a starter this year, Harris is averaging 10.1 points per game and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor. That includes his 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting in Thursday’s win over the Jazz.
The starting group with Harris is +1.4 net rating (113.5 offensive rating/112.1 defensive rating) in 74 minutes over seven games this season.
It’s not anything to write home about, but it does hint at the success the team can have, especially with Harris starting to return to form. Harris fits perfectly with what the Magic need from the fifth starter.
“Defensively, it’s more than anything,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Saturday. “I think he does a great job of just being stable. Selecting multiple players. You’ve seen him pick up a ton of them all over the field. Offensively, what he provides is space, stability and of balance to the game and the way we are playing.”
This is what the Magic expect more than anything from the veteran wing.. They appreciate his consistent play. He’s not a high-demand player at just 12.4 percent and 5.6 field goal attempts per game (the fewest since his rookie season). Orlando doesn’t make many plays for him.
But his presence can have a huge impact due to his ability to space the field and work within the team’s defensive scheme.
The Magic have a +2.7 net rating with Harris on the floor, including a stellar offensive rating for them of 114.8. As if to make it clear that there were shots on the floor of the house, the Magic are even better with Joe Ingles on the floor (although it should be noted that Harris and Ingles have shared the floor a lot this season).
Orlando has a lot of players who attack and score. Harris is there to be a spacer and a calming presence. He is the outlet when the team is stuck.
And its importance will only grow as the Playoffs draw closer.
“Between him and Joe, what they’re able to bring with their maturity and their experiences, they’ve had playoff experience,” Mosley said after Saturday’s practice. “They understand the value of basketball, the value of possessions, and knowing how to keep their cool no matter what happens. Their attitude and approach as professionals is the key to this group.”
Harris still has a lot of value to give to this team. Now that the group is healthier — Jamahl Mosley reported no injuries Saturday and Jonathan Isaac participated in practice — the lineups and rotations are starting to settle into what they could be when the playoffs playoffs will begin.
Everyone is focused on that and everyone is preparing for the playoff battles to come.
As the team focuses more on stopping the Magic, two things will become important:
The first is that teams will attempt to lock the Magic out of the paint and force them to shoot jumpers. That makes shooting threes — which the team did at 39.5 percent in February — all the more important to staying in games.
The second is that it means the Magic need to be more committed to their principles and identity to overcome the normal fluctuations throughout the season.
In all of these ways, Harris can help the team immensely.
“It’s always nice to make three points, but we’re a defensive team,” Harris said after practice Saturday. “We’re afraid of getting stops. Making threes definitely opens everything up for us. There will be games where the shots aren’t going in. We can’t hang our hat on a team that only makes threes. We have to s “Stick to our usual principles and then achieve three points is just a plus for us.”
Harris has had his ups and downs especially this year. But he is taking shape again. And few players understand how important it is to be locked in and consistent like Harris.
Following. Mosley calms skeptics 02/03/24. Jamahl Mosley has calmed his doubters and changed the Magic narrative. dark
And Harris is starting to gain momentum and give the Magic the shooting relief they will need to succeed in this playoff race.
