Portland Trail Blazers: Maurice Harkless is “in a better place physically and mentally,” and it’s just in time

After several solid performances throughout the Portland Trail Blazers five-game winning streak, Moe Harkless told the Oregonian he is happy about his play and “in a better place physically and mentally.”

For Maurice Harkless, this past year has been… tumultuous. Since undergoing knee surgery to resolve lingering pain in March 2018, the forward has been in-and-out of the rotation with mixed results. Even with inconsistency and a reduced role at the outset of this season, the Portland Trail Blazers have worked diligently to reinsert him as a starter. The fanbase, however, has been less forgiving and patience for a struggling Moe has been tested.

The team’s context has served only to pressurize his mishaps and second-rate performances. With Jake Layman‘s emergence and the team’s acquisition of Rodney Hood, it has been hard not to wonder if Harkless’s “rehabilitation” is ultimately just a regression to a mediocre mean.

Over his first 36 games this season, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on .457 shooting from the floor and .288 from deep. Like in previous seasons, he again looked miscast as a three-and-D wing. An athletic and defensive-minded swingman who can’t really shoot all that well, Moe disappears when made to stand out on the corner and wilt.

There were more than a few who wondered if the team would be better off without Harkless altogether.

Lately, though, Harkless has looked much better. And the club, coincidentally or not, is on a five-game winning streak. During this run, Harkless averages 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on .540 shooting overall and .286 from three.

The most exciting part of this production? It looks sustainable. He isn’t suddenly lighting it up from deep. He isn’t torching guys in the midrange or off the dribble. He is playing tough defense and taking advantage of situations down low and on the fast break.

He may finally be turning the ever-elusive and proverbial corner.

Yes, he still ranges anywhere from powerful finisher to Tristan Thompson-esque when attacking the rim. Only now, he has more displays of strength and made his occasional fumble-handed approach more effective – a new specialty of his is chucking up a prayer near the rim only to rebound the miss for a better look.

Harkless played his best game of the season in a recent victory over the Celtics in Boston. Putting up 17 points, 10 boards, and three steals, he earned his first double-double since December 2016 against the Sacramento Kings. Following the win, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian caught up with him about his recent performances:

"“I’m just in a better place physically and mentally. I feel good, so I’m not thinking about anything. I’m just out there playing, and that’s when I play my best.”"

Harkless is unquestionably playing his best basketball of the season.

Since the All-Star Break, I’ve noticed more confidence in his three-point shot. Rather than a picky-eater being forced to branch out, his deep-ball looks more natural. Against the Brooklyn Nets, Harkless launched a season-high five of them.

To be fair, he hit only one of these attempts. Still, despite his three-point percentage remaining less than lackluster, this better mental place shines through his recent assertiveness in stepping up and into more opportunities to contribute.

The first-unit has a tougher identity when Harkless is constantly marking up the game with dunks and deflections. Over the past two weeks, his impact is clear. He is tied with Damian Lillard for the team’s best individual plus-minus (+16.4) during that period.

He has produced quality minutes for Portland in the past. Now, he is proving that he still can, with a frustrating left knee he says is feeling better along with a clear budding confidence. The organization should rejoice in what looks like a major breakthrough after months of setbacks, while also placing a new expectation on him.

No doubt, Harkless and the coaching staff trust each other. He worked with the team even when he began shrugging at his lack of opportunities in Portland’s three-man scoring ecosystem. The team has backed him as the starter throughout his recovery process. And now, the Blazers seem to be putting Moe in more opportunities to utilize his skillset and succeed.

To warrant consistent minutes for the remainder of the schedule, as the games become increasingly more important, he will need to regularly impact games in any way he can. Portland trusts him to be their glue guy.

This small stretch in February cannot end in hope for a full Harkless return down the line. These five games must be the beginning of solid play as it will continue getting harder to rely on him to produce.

March is less than a day away; the playoffs start in six weeks; four wins separate Portland and both the second- and eight-seeds in the Western Conference. Time for returning-to-form is dwindling.