Is Michael Harris poised for the NBL25 Most Improved Player Award?

Michael Harris to step up in NBL25

Michael Harris's story is that of player that has put in the time and hard work due to his willingness to learn and improve and it has paid off. Harris is set to play a more involved role for the Perth Wildcats this season which could see the personal silverware continue to grow the confidence and ameliorate his performance.

Michael Harris is a 24-year-old guard who has been a part of the Perth Wildcats for the past two seasons. His career has been one of hard work and dedication to the game of basketball. Starting out his basketball journey in Adelaide for the Forestville Eagles in the South Australian Premier League (NBL1 Central), Harris learnt quickly that his best attribute was his craving to become better and to constantly keep improving on and off the court.

It wasn’t until the 2018 season for the Eagles where Harris really started to understand he belonged in the competition. Playing with NBL veterans and upcoming players such as Brendon Teys, Majok Deng and Adam Doyle, Harris really started to learn how to not just be a leader on the court but more importantly off it.

Harris had a very successful career in the South Australian Premier League (NBL1 Central) such as being awarded the Grand Final MVP in 2019 after capping off the season with a Championship for the Forestville Hawks, was awarded the South Australian Premier League/NBL1 Centrals Best Youth Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021 and to cap it off was also announced as a NBL1 Central All-Star Five in 2021. When asked what these awards meant to a young player trying to find his feet in the professional basketball world, Harris stated:

“It really helped me believe in myself, I struggled a little bit with not knowing if I belonged here especially playing with such highly decorated players”.

It does show that whilst awards are an individual trophy they are much needed for players trying to assert themselves into a professional setting and fighting the questions constantly of do I or don’t I belong.

Listen to the full interview with Michael Harris and The Basketball Fix.

After a handful of consistent seasons in the NBL1 Central competition, Harris was watched closely by former Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Joey Wright before being invited down as a train on player for the 2018-19 NBL season. Harris reflected on the lack of confidence in which he dealt with early on as a train on player explaining, “I probably felt a little out of my depth there, I was playing well in the NBL1 but it was a whole other level”.

He would then return to the 36ers as a development player for the 2019-20 season where Harris would be given a chance for two games. That would be the last time the NBL world would see Harris in a 36ers jersey due to Joey Wrights exit as the Head Coach and the next coaching staff and front office not seeing what the previous had seen in Harris.

Harris’s time in the NBL wouldn’t stop there though, he would be approached by Perth Wildcats Head Coach, John Rillie.

Harris would sign with the Wildcats before the start of the 2022-23 season as a development player, he would be injected into the rotation almost immediately taking over from full rostered players. He would finish with a season high of 17 points against the Cairns Taipans and would finish the season with averages of 3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG whilst shooting 42% from 3 point territory. He would be rewarded with the Perth Wildcats Most Improved Award.

During the offseason of the 2023-24 season Harris would head over to New Zealand to play for the Otago Nuggets, this is the affiliate program for the Perth Wildcats in the NZNBL. He would learn plenty in his time there and would finish up with averages of 22.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.5 SPG in 19 games.

Some of his biggest takeaways from his time in the NZNBL was the pressure on him to perform consistently. Being one of the focal points on offence for the Nuggets, he was constantly dealing with the oppositions best defenders each game.

At the conclusion of the NZNBL season Harris would then turn his attention to the 2023-24 NBL season again for the Perth Wildcats. Signing a 2 year deal with the Wildcats which saw him being a development player in the 2023-24 season and then being elevated to a full roster spot in 2024-25, which really gave Harris the belief that he is a valuable part of the Wildcats organisation going forward.

In the 2023-24 season Harris would turn into one of the Wildcats better defenders, locking down some of the better opposition players each game. Whilst his statistics and shooting percentages would decrease, it was the learning experience in which Harris took the most out of. His hunger to play as much as possible really helped the mentality of being a score first player change to really doing what is best for the team.

Harris is poised for a massive NBL25 season back in Perth for the Wildcats and has to be a player considered to take out the NBL25 Most Improved Player Award.