Brooklyn Nets: Joe Harris quietly becoming one of NBA’s deadliest shooters

Coming off last season where he made 150 3s mostly off the bench and shot a career-high 41.9 percent from behind the arc, Joe Harris has continued his productive and hot shooting into the 2018-19 season.

In an offseason where many players from the 2017-18 Brooklyn Nets were traded or not re-signed, fourth-year swingman Joe Harris was high on top of the Nets’ list for players to bring back.

Harris had a career year last season in his second year with the Nets and proved to many that he was an NBA player and consistent threat from 3-point range.

A natural fit in coach Kenny Atkinson’s system, Harris re-signed in the offseason for two years and $16 million. All along, Harris wanted to stay in Brooklyn because of the culture built by general manager Sean Marks and Atkinson.

Mutual interest on both sides made the re-signing process very easy and Harris is already starting to make the Nets look very smart with his play to start the season.

With Allen Crabbe getting injured in the preseason, Harris was put into the starting lineup and has held onto that spot.

Harris’ grit on defense allows Atkinson to play him in multiple positions as the 6-foot-6 guard has played shooting guard, small forward and some power forward in the first 12 games of the season.

Harris has improved so far on a great 2017-18 campaign by averaging 13.2 points a game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and a ridiculous 56.9 percent from the 3-point line.

Harris has quickly become a fan favorite among Nets fans as now he is called by many nicknames including “Joey Moses,” “Lumber Joe” and “Joey Buckets.” He’s a perfect fit for the Nets and his style of play is easy to play with and is always team-first.

The 56.9 percent mark from behind the arc leads the NBA at the moment and will be hard to keep up with, but Harris is starting to make a name for himself as one of the deadliest shooters not just with the Nets, but in the NBA.

Harris’ good shooting comes from his form, which never changes as he releases the ball. His ability to get open off of screens and being effective off the ball is a valuable asset to a Brooklyn Nets offense that wants to spread the floor with shooters.

One thing that Harris has improved on the last two years is his movement without the ball and his willingness to take it to the basket. In the first 12 games of this season, Harris has not only shot the ball well from 3, but has driven to the basket more off of strong close outs and screens.

His all-around offensive game as catapulted his game from a bench shooter to a key starter on this team.

While Harris may not keep up his hot shooting for 82 games, he has established himself not only as the best shooter on the team, but a dangerous shooter in the NBA.

As the season progresses, Harris’ shooting will be a key factor in a lot of games this year. Harris is proving to the Nets that he can be their Kyle Korver of the future.