Gary Harris’ impact on the Orlando Magic in 2022-23 could be easy to overlook.
Harris finished the season in the top eight in just one of the five standard statistical categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
His 0.9 steals per game ranked No. 4 among Magic players who played at least 20 games. Harris’ scoring (8.3), assists (1.2) and minutes (24.7) averages this past season were the lowest since his rookie year in 2014-15. He had one of the lowest usage rates (12.5%) among players in Orlando’s regular rotation.
Harris played in just 48 games, missing the season’s first 15 games while recovering from an arthroscopic meniscectomy on his left knee after tearing his meniscus during the offseason and another 11 games midseason because of a strained right hamstring.
But Harris’ impact goes deeper than his own numbers. It showed with how he made the game easier for his teammates when he was available.
The Magic were over 3 points per 100 possessions better offensively with Harris on the floor — and provided a young team with a steady veteran presence.
“You talk about the little things of the game of just sprinting to the corner, giving other guys space and room,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of Harris. “Knowing when and where to cut. Taking on the defensive challenge of guarding the team’s best player, making it difficult on them [and] knowing how to be physical.
“Then communicating to guys whether it’s on a dead ball, telling guys where to be. His constant communication. Those are all little things that go so far that our coaches speak about but he does a great job of echoing that same message.”
The spacing Harris provided the Magic was evident and necessary, especially on an Orlando squad that has a lot of players who look to drive into the paint and was one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams.
Harris led the Magic in 3-point accuracy at 43.1% and was tied with Franz Wagner for 3-point attempts per game at 4.5. Nearly 70% of Harris’ shot attempts were 3s this past season — by far a career-high.
He was the Magic’s most efficient spot-up threat, scoring 1.19 points per possession on these looks, which was in the 84th percentile compared to the rest of the league.
Harris has developed into one of the league’s best scorers coming off screens, averaging 1.14 points per possession on these plays — in the 79th percentile. He was in the 85th percentile on these play types last season after not being above the 60th percentile in any other season since 2015-16, the furthest back the league’s play-type database goes on their official website.
Defenses respect Harris as a shooting threat. He’s a 37% 3-point shooter for his career and has a 39.9% 3-point accuracy over his last three seasons with the Magic.
Because defenders are hesitant to leave Harris open, this limits how much help they provide. This opens up driving lanes for Orlando’s main ballhandlers — Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony.
Harris was a knockdown shooter on drive and kicks, making a team-best 42.8% on catch-and-shoot 3s. He was one of 37 players to take at least 3 catch-and-shoot 3s and make at least 40% of those attempts, with his percentage being the 10th-best mark among those players. Harris is especially effective when he’s in the corners, where he’s shot 46.2% on 3s (109 of 236) over the last two seasons.
If defenses overplay Harris because of his shooting ability, he makes them pay with timely and effective cuts.
Harris’ impact extends off the court, too. At 28 years old and 9 years into his NBA career, he was one of the Magic’s more veteran players.
“There [are] so many things he does that people don’t really appreciate, and it sometimes it’s not even on the floor,” Mosley said. “His presence in the locker room, his calming demeanor, his voice, his energy. There’s a maturity level he possesses of being in different experiences and just the young man he is — he brings that to our young guys so they can see what it’s like to be a veteran. And he doesn’t even have that many years, but enough he’s been through the experiences he can teach these guys.”
This presence is one of the more valuable aspects of Harris, who signed a 2-year, $26 million contract extension with the Magic last summer. He has a $13 million non-guaranteed salary for next season. His 2023-24 salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
Harris’ experience with the Denver Nuggets, who went from a lottery team to a playoff mainstay in Harris’ time with the team from 2014-21, prepared him for a veteran and complementary role.
He knows the important steps the Magic need to take to become a playoff team — their next goal.
“The big step this year was just trusting each other,” Harris said of the Magic. “Sacrificing, being able to understand time and scenario in a game and having that full trust. Everybody wants to win but nobody can do it by themselves. You’ve got to be able to lean on others, especially in times when it gets hard.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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