LOS ANGELES — The first sign that Gary Harris had the temperament it took to pull himself through rough NBA waters came last season. And they were turbulent.

For the first time in a long time, he was on the outside of a rotation.

The young Nuggets shooting guard’s confidence took a hit, but he did not fold. He did not complain outwardly. He did get a boost from then-teammate Randy Foye, who took the former Michigan State star under his wing, glued him even tighter to the gym and the work it took to persevere, and did not let go. Harris, meanwhile, didn’t do anything but what he’s seemingly always done: put his head down and do what is asked of him.

This season, first-year Nuggets coach Michael Malone asked more of Harris.

It was music to Harris’ ears.

But his path was laced with thorns. It’s not an unprecedented circumstance, but this has been a pressure-packed season for a 21-year-old, second-year pro. Because while the Nuggets’ expectations were tabled, the scrutiny on Harris wasn’t.

This, simply, was a make-or-break season for Harris. Yes, this early in his NBA career.

Falter, and any desire he had to become a starting shooting guard in the NBA would take a hit pretty closely akin to a death blow. And shooting guard would have been added to the list of areas to improve for Nuggets executives.

But it hasn’t worked out that way.

Harris has removed the worry.

And he has done it just how he always has — by putting his head down and doing what he’s been asked to do.

Lately, that’s been so much more.

Like scoring.

He used to do that. A lot. Harris was a 25-points-per-game scorer his senior season in high school, just four years ago, before being asked to fit in and play a mostly “3-and-D” role with the Spartans, a Big Ten Conference power.

Harris is now getting back in touch with the player who lit up the scoreboard.

“For sure,” he said. “Just being more aggressive on the offensive and defensive end. Just getting back into it. Instead of just being labeled as a defender, being an all-around player.”

The NBA is a funny place. It has a way of quickly putting players into a box and then sealing it shut. Harris was headed right to that place, typecast as a defense-first two guard who could hit an occasional 3-pointer. Hey, it’s work, and any work in the NBA is good if a player can get it. But so many dynamic players trudge through NBA careers as a shell of their former selves.

Harris got a reprieve.

He earned it, really.

It started with movement on offense. The Nuggets were not running plays for him, so he manufactured looks on his own with hard cuts to the basket. Teammates found him for layups and dunks. He ran the court for fast-break baskets. And, of course, he hit from 3-point range.

On a team that struggled to shoot a high percentage, Harris stood out. His shooting percentages were solid. It reached a point where Malone couldn’t ignore the numbers. He had to find out if what was happening organically could be mass produced.

So he started drawing up plays targeting Harris as the shooter. Harris, in turn, also started seeking out additional shooting opportunities.

“Just figuring out times when I need to be aggressive, and times when I can hunt for my shot.” Harris said. “I think we’re doing a good job of just looking for teammates to get me in spots where I can score.”

It’s worked.

In the 15 games before the Nuggets beat the Lakers 116-105 in Los Angeles on Friday night, Harris averaged 16 points per game on 50 percent shooting. Among the NBA’s shooting guards, that would put Harris behind only Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in scoring. As it is, Harris entered the weekend ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring among qualified shooting guards.

And he’s only 21.

The Nuggets no longer feel an urgency to address their shooting guard position. Harris is doing his best to show they already have their man.

Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@ denverpost.com or @dempseypost

Spotlight on …

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota

When: This week’s Post player of the week takes us to uncharted waters — to a rookie. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns rose to the top and takes home the award for the evaluation period of March 19-25.

What’s up: In three games, Towns averaged 25.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He shot 59.6 percent from the field and was dominant all week, leading the Timberwolves to wins in two of the three games.

Background: The only thing more impressive than the numbers themselves was the consistency at which he arrived at them. Towns scored 24, 26 and 27 points in the three games. He grabbed 11, 11 and 10 rebounds in the three contests. He shot 57 percent from the field twice and 64.7 percent in the other contest. There haven’t been wild swings in his play all season long as he has done nothing but validate over and over again why he was the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft.

Dempsey’s take: With all due respect to those sifting through numbers to make the rookie of the year race somewhat close, it isn’t. Towns is the runaway leader and essentially has been from Day One. We just all needed to see him blossom to etch it in stone. Towns has dazzled this season, and there’s no reason to think that he won’t follow up this season’s rookie of the year award with All-NBA teams and maybe even a league MVP in future seasons. He’s that good. And he’s only getting better.