Harris about to cash in on becoming
Joe Harris wasn’t always this good.
Yes, the Nets’ sharpshooter has always been just that — a sharpshooter. But when he first entered the league, his bag of tricks was limited solely to catching and shooting a basketball.
Fast forward to Brooklyn’s critical 118-110 win over the Wizards on Sunday, and Harris is finishing off the glass with English. He’s driving down the lane. He’s taking opponents off the dribble and finishing with contact.
With just under seven minutes to go in the third quarter, Harris received a pass on the left wing from Tyler Johnson. Four years ago, if the shot wasn’t there, he was getting the ball out of his hands posthaste.
Instead, Harris pumpfaked to get Wizards defender Isaac Bonga off his feet. Then he drove baseline and somehow pulled off a no-look layup, hesitating with a head fake toward the foul line to throw center Thomas Bryant off balance, then finishing at the rim for to give himself a three-point play.
Harris was critical in Brooklyn’s must-win game against the Wizards. He finished with 27 points on 10of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from three. Two of those threes came back-to-back in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 98.
“You give a lot of credit to the coaching staff. Jordan Ott works with him on a primary basis and their relationship, their growth has allowed Joe’s game to grow,” interim head coach Jacque Vaughn said postgame. “The ability for those two to watch film together and Joe to respond in practice and thirst for knowledge on how he can be a better player.
“He’s more than just a catch-and-shoot guy. He’s a phenomenal human being first of all, but his ability to put the ball on the floor and be creative enough to make passes and finish at the rim. So a lot of work has gone into him maturing his game.”
Harris credits the growth of his game to Kenny Atkinson. After all, it was the player development guru who got his hands not just on Harris, but also Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen. Russell made his first All-Star appearance in a career year last season (albeit as an injury replacement for Victor Oladipo). Dinwiddie became a Most Improved Player snub. LeVert did, too, and is jockeying for position as the third star in Brooklyn next season.
Harris has seen both his game and his role expand.
“I think it goes back to having a coach like Kenny Atkinson in the early days when I first got to Brooklyn, the emphasis that they put on player development, making sure guys were complete players and they weren’t limited to just one
aspect of their game,” he said. “Obviously shooting’s always going to be my strong suit, but lucky to have great player development coaches and an emphasis on player development in the culture like it is here in Brooklyn.”
Harris is also in a contract year. Two summers ago, he signed a teamfriendly two-year, $16 million deal. In 2017, the Sixers gave sharpshooter JJ Redick a one-year, $23 million deal.
Redick has since collected an additional $12 million from the Sixers and recently signed a two-year, $26.5 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. Harris is undoubtedly positioning himself for a similar offer, averaging just under 14 points per game on 47% shooting from the field and 41% shooting from three.
Harris has already made it clear that he wants to stay: “Definitely, why wouldn’t you?” he said.
The Nets also don’t have to worry too much about the competition. Brooklyn retains Harris’ bird rights, meaning they can exceed the salary cap to re-sign their sharpshooter. Explosive games like Harris’ performance against the Wizards serve as a reminder: The Nets are going to have to cut a check far larger than two years, $16 million if they want to keep Harris in Brooklyn.
LeVert has enjoyed watching his teammate and good friend thrive alongside him on the Nets.
“Joe is a guy who is always in the gym. He’s always trying to get better. He’s always watching film. His maturation and his development obviously hasn’t been a huge surprise, especially for a lot of us who see him work each and every single day,” he said. “It’s especially good to see in games, but we know what Joe is capable of. We know how hard he works. It’s great to see that pay off, especially down the stretch of a game like that.”
His hard work paid off against the Wizards on Sunday. It projects to officially pay off when he signs his next contract in the offseason.