Denver Nuggets star Gary Harris talks NBA Global Games showdown at London’s O2 and the 2016-17 basketball season
Basketball star was in the UK for the official announcement as his side take on Paul George and the Indiana Pacers in January
DENVER NUGGETS guard Gary Harris was in London for the official announcement of the 2017 NBA Global Games clash in London, saying he can't wait to be a part of it.
The game between Harris' Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers on January 12, 2017 was announced last week.
And the shooting guard claimed he can't wait to be a part of the blossoming NBA fan-base in the UK.
Harris said: “Building bridges in London is pretty cool, and just to come out here and experience the London fans, the new experience will be great for us.
"It’s going to be different, travelling all the way to London. The furthest trip for us is Miami to New York which is four hours.
"It’s going to be a different experience, our young guys are very mature and our veterans have seen it all before, so I think we will be fine.”
On his trip to London last week, he added: “This is my first time here; just seeing the major landmarks was pretty cool.
"Actually seeing them in person was great; I can’t wait to actually play a game out here.
"I’ve never played a basketball game here it’s going to be pretty fun.
"They have NBA games here ever year so it’s obviously a great turnout so I’m really looking forward to playing in it.”
Meanwhile, Harris - speaking on the London Eye - claimed he is looking forward to getting down to business come the new season after a superb second term in the league, following a tough rookie campaign 12 months prior.
He claimed: “I feel there’s a lot I didn’t show last year just because coming from my rookie year, second year my confidence wasn’t that high.
"But by the end of the season I started to show more than people had expected from me.
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"[My aim is] to build upon last season, just continue to contribute to my team and hopefully we can win more games than last year.
"[My rookie season] was hard, I never experienced anything like that growing up.
"I started in all my teams, playing a lot, being seen as one of the focal point of the offence. Not having that was a wake-up call and tested my mental strength.
"After going through that I felt like my second year was a breeze.
"It was hard at times, everyone said keep working, your time is going to come, you start thinking ‘whatever’ - you don’t want to hear that.
"Like I said earlier though, it’s a marathon not a sprint and you’ve just got to keep working and the rest will play out for itself.”
The Denver Nuggets - under the leadership of coach Michael Malone - finished 11th in the Western Conference with a win record of just 33-49 through the 2015-16 campaign.
But Harris knows they are destined for better things next season, with the return of long-term injury victim Wilson Chandler on the cards.
Harris said: “It’s huge because Wilson going down last season hurt us because he can defend, he can shoot, he can score, he does it all.
"Just to have a veteran presence on the floor, it’s going to be huge."
Harris also had his say on the Pacers ahead of their game in London - which will be one of just two showdowns between the pair this season - claiming it will be a massive challenge.
He said: “You’ve seen who they’ve added this year, they’re definitely trying to make that serious push in the Eastern conference.
"I feel like they’re going to play with a different type of assertiveness this year.
"Paul George has a full-season under his belt [following a serious injury in 2014] so he’s going to come back to try and make a statement this season.
"Plus, young guys like Myles Turner who broke out at the end of last season, guys like Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young - they have a nice squad... Al Jefferson as well.
"They are definitely going to be a force, but I like our squad as well so I think it’s going to be very competitive.”
The teams split the matches last term at one apiece after a pair of thrilling games - one even going to overtime.
Fans in the UK can follow the NBA on Facebook at facebook.com/NBAUK or on Twitter/Vine @NBAUK