Dallas Mavericks' Johnson thinks Harris is becoming All-Star material
Coach thinks point guard's game could hit All-Star level next season
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By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
It happened before he turned his left ankle. And before he got a double-thick tape job at halftime to stabilize the achy joint.
And way before he erupted for 16 second-half points Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers on that gimpy ankle, Devin Harris had a nice, big smile run across his face in the pregame locker room.
He'd just been informed that Avery Johnson is predicting next-level success for Harris next season.
"Devin Harris has grown," Johnson said. "Next year, you may be talking about Devin Harris as an All-Star. Who knows? That would be a thrill."
If Johnson was guilty of anything with that statement, it wasn't of overhyping Harris. If anything, he's selling the 6-3 point guard short this season.
While Harris is not a threat to make the All-Star Game this year, his play of late has been on par with some of the best point guards in the Western Conference. It's a crowded group, which includes Chris Paul of New Orleans, Deron Williams of Utah, Baron Davis of Golden State, Steve Nash of Phoenix, Tony Parker of San Antonio and Denver's Allen Iverson, who visits the Mavericks today.
Over the last five games, Harris has averaged 18.8 points and 6.8 assists, shot at least 50 percent in each game and committed just 2.2 turnovers per game.
He arguably had more pressure on him this season than any other Maverick. He was asked to be the full-time floor general and direct the team. Johnson wants Harris to get the Mavericks into their running game as often as possible and to attack the basket and distribute the basketball when they are in half-court sets.
It can be a painful job. No Maverick spends as much time hitting the hardwood as Harris. He takes more charges than anybody on the team and is fearless when he goes to the rim. Against the Lakers, he paid the price when he came up limping in the first quarter.
"We taped it up pretty tight at halftime to make sure it wouldn't move around too much," Harris said. "It was a little painful, but I was able to gut it out and get that burst of speed when I needed it."
Two of those bursts came in the final 2:11 against the Lakers, when Harris scored half of the Mavericks' final 10 points on two layups, one of which became a three-point play.
"When Devin plays aggressively on both ends, we can be a pretty good team," Johnson said. "[He] tweaked his ankle early on, and how huge was Devin in the fourth quarter?"
Throughout the second half, Harris was a difference-maker, which is what coaches love to see from their point guards.
Johnson is lamenting the job of filling out his ballot for All-Star reserves. He looks at the list of guards in the Western Conference and knows that he's going to have to leave somebody out.
But sometime in the future, he hopes his fellow coaches will have the same sort of tough decision regarding Harris.