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By John DentonOct. 19, 2014
ORLANDO -- Often unsure of himself and sometimes wobbly, Maurice Harkless frequently resembled a knock-kneed, newborn deer during his formative NBA years.
``We joked on him and called him `Bambi’ because he runs super fast, but he has the baby face and the short haircut. He looked like a teenager and to us he was `Bambi,’^’’ recalled power forward Kyle O’Quinn, Harkless’ best friend on the Orlando Magic. ``But now, Mo’s a full-grown deer, a buck.’’
About to enter his third NBA season, but still only 21 years old, Harkless knows that he has plenty of more growing to do as he carves out a bigger niche with the Magic. He chuckles now when he thinks back to the ``Bambi’’ moniker from two seasons ago and he said it was a nickname that never offended him because he truly was feeling his way through the NBA like a baby deer. But now, after putting in an offseason full of three-a-day work sessions and becoming much more confident and comfortable on the court, Harkless pronounced himself ready to run and jump in a big way this season.
``Back in the day, Kyle and (former Magic point guard) Jameer (Nelson) used to call me `Bambi.’ Now, they think I’m a full-grown deer,’’ Harkless said with his hearty and infectious laugh. ``It’s like night and day for me now. Back then (as a rookie in the 2012-13 season), I was timid because it was my first time ever to play at this level. To be hurt (following hernia surgery) and not be able to experience my first training camp, that was tough too being thrown into the fire. But now with a lot more experience, I feel a lot more confident about everything.’’
Harkless’ confidence has shown throughout this preseason for the Magic (4-2), which will host an open practice for fans at the Amway Center on Monday at 6:30 p.m. (Free tickets can be downloaded at OrlandoMagic.com). So far, Harkless is averaging 9.8 points a game and shooting a robust 55.2 percent while expanding his offensive arsenal with moves rarely ever seen in the previous two seasons.
Why, just last week in Charlotte, Harkless twice rubbed off top-side screens, read the defender retreating backward to protect against the drive and he confidently buried two mid-range jump shots.
Before, Harkless was not only unsure of making plays off the dribble, but he also rarely even attempted jumpers that weren’t stationary threes from the corner or point-blank dunks. Now, the pull-up jumper is a shot that Harkless worked on thousands of times this past offseason and one that he perfects before games while drilling with Magic player development coach Laron Profit. Harkless’ growth has allowed him to escape the somewhat insulting ``3-and-D’’ label given to him in the previous two seasons.
``Overall, he’s feeling more confident because he’s worked on his game,’’ Magic coach Jacque Vaughn observed. ``Part of that growth has been increasing the opportunities when he has the basketball in his hands. He (hit mid-range jumpers) twice the other night where there was no hesitation. That’s a tough shot, but his confidence now has increased to the point where it’s the highest it’s been since he’s been here.’’
Vaughn wants his Magic to play up-tempo basketball this season and pressure the ball relentlessly all over the floor. Those tactics have worked in the preseason as Orlando has averaged 98.3 points, while holding foes to just 93.8 points a game and 40.4 percent shooting.
At a wiry 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Harkless would seem to be the poster boy athlete for the up-tempo, defensive-minded style that Orlando wants to play. Tearing up the floor on the fastbreak, he runs like a deer; his rare combination of size and quickness allows him to play two wing positions and have the versatility that GM Rob Hennigan and Vaughn covet; and because Harkless has great height and length, he can at times be a smothering defensive force.
``For a lot of guys on this team, this system is perfect,’’ Harkless said. ``A guy like (reserve center) Dewayne (Dedmon) he runs the floor like a guard. Tobias (Harris) can run the floor better than any (power forward) in the league. This style is perfect for a guy like me and our group.
``And there’s competition at every spot every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way,’’ Harkless continued. ``That’s the only way we’ll get better and we push each other every day.’’
Undoubtedly, Harkless has gotten better on the offensive end. Last season, he exerted himself mainly on the defensive end – he had a steal in 54 games and at least two steals in 31 games; and he also had a blocked shot in 32 games and two or more 12 times. But when it came to his offense, Harkless was primarily limited to dunks or corner threes.
Harkless did something about that this summer, staying in gymnasiums in either Orlando, New York or Clearwater most of the offseason. He practiced dribbling two balls at a time to better his handle. He stroked jumpers while on the move. And putting those two new facets of his game together helped him learn how to get space between a defender so that he could better create his own shot.
``I worked really, really hard this summer and that’s where that comfort level comes from. I’ve put in the work and I’ve been grinding. That’s where my confidence comes from,’’ Harkless said. ``I was in the gym three times a day throughout the summer whether it was playing in open gyms, lifting or working out. But every day it was about grinding. After the season, I took a couple of weeks off, but then I was back in the gym three times a day or two times a day, just working.’’
O’Quinn, who hails from the same Jamaica, Queens, area of New York City as Harkless, is blown away by the progress that Harkless has made since the two of them came into the NBA together two seasons ago. But he said that he isn’t surprised one bit because he’s seen firsthand the dedication that Harkless had in working to better his craft.
``His improvement just goes to show you the work that he’s put in, the trust that he has in our coaches and the trust that the coaches have in him,’’ O’Quinn said.
While not necessarily fully grown as a player just yet, Harkless is clearly ready to shed his ``Bambi’’ nickname and run and jump freely this season. He believes that he is primed for a breakout season because of the new-found confidence he has in his game.
``In the system that we’re running now, it gives me the freedom to do more things,’’ Harkless said. ``I’m just excited for this year and looking forward to getting better every day.’’