Devin Harris remained a steady presence for the Mavericks off the bench

Looking Back

Devin Harris enjoyed yet another season as a solid back-up guard in his second tour as a Dallas Maverick. He didn't do anything to surprise us, but he provided a useful presence off the bench through 74 games.

Harris averaged just fewer than eight points per game this season and shot slightly below 33 percent from three. He was a more efficient scorer closer to the basket, where he took most of his shots, with an effective field goal percentage of over 51 percent.

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He wasn't a consistent shooter, and as Josh discussed earlier, at this point in his career he plays primarily off the ball, despite still being listed as a point guard. But Harris usually provided a solid defensive presence. Per ESPN's real plus minus, he's the 16^th most effective point guard on defense. While that's not terribly impressive on its face, Harris' defensive impact is similar to that of some very good starting point guards in the league, including John Wall and George Hill. It's also worth noting that he's barely a step down defensively from Deron Williams.

Harris was frequently a part of the much-maligned three-guard line-up, and he averaged more minutes per game as part of these units in the playoffs as injury forced Rick Carlisle to rely on his bench. As Tim outlined earlier this season, he was a part of both the best and the worst of those options, which sums up Harris' season nicely: a decent veteran who is neither the problem nor the solution for this team.

Devin Harris missed 18 games this season due to a variety of injuries, including a recurring left foot problem, a thumb sprain, as well as injuries to his back, hamstring, and ribs.

Contract Status

Harris just wrapped up the second his of his four-year, $16 million contract. Dallas has him for $4.2 million this season (and $4.4 next) before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2018.

Looking Forward

Harris had surgery last week on his thumb and toe, each of which caused him to miss several games this season, but he has plenty of time to heal over the offseason. While none of the injuries Harris had this season are likely career-ending or even career-altering, Harris has struggled his entire career to make it through an entire season without losing games to injury. The foot injury has plagued him for several seasons now, and given his history, it's unlikely he'll be on the floor for 82 games next season.

Devin Harris is a decent vet on a reasonable contract, especially with the coming cap increase, but he's also emblematic of the Mavericks mediocrity since winning the championship and their tendency to rely on the familiar without injecting (or developing) enough new talent. While Harris' contract isn't per se a problem, he's not the level of supporting cast Dirk will need if the Mavericks are serious about giving him a real opportunity to get that second ring.

Still, expect to see Harris coming off the bench again for Dallas next season.