Brooklyn Nets: 3 favorable factors in 1st-round meeting with 76ers
By Phil Watson
3. Harris in a position to punish Philly
Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets led the NBA in 3-point shooting this season, knocking down a franchise single-season record 47.4 percent on 5.1 attempts per game.
That was part of a career year for Harris, who started all 76 games in which he played and averaged 13.7 points in 30.2 minutes per game — all career-highs. He shot 50 percent overall and 82.7 percent at the line.
And against the Philadelphia 76ers, Harris was Mr. Efficiency.
He averaged 14.0 points in 29.8 minutes a night, shooting 56.8 percent overall and knocking down 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from deep.
It’s a killer combination for Brooklyn against the 76ers with Harris, who knocks down 48.1 percent of his attempts from 3-point range on catch-and-shoot plays, where he has taken 326 of his 386 3-point attempts this season, a whopping 84.5 percent of his deep shots.
The Nets run Harris off an array of screens and stagger screens in order to get him open looks.
The 76ers, meanwhile, are the NBA’s second-worst defensive team against shots run off screen actions, allowing 1.06 points per possession. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves, at 1.08 PPP, were worse.
Brooklyn is tied for third in the NBA off screens, averaging 1.02 points per possession. Only the Golden State Warriors (1.13) and the LA Clippers (1.03) do it better.
Harris is a huge part of that success with the work he does running defenders off screens to get space.
He can be a double-threat off that action as well. Close out on him too aggressively and Harris will blow by into the paint, where he has become a very strong finisher.
It’s that aspect of his game that separates Harris from sharpshooters such as Philadelphia’s J.J. Redick or Utah Jazz veteran Kyle Korver, who are much more likely to get rid of the ball against hard closeouts than they are to try and take it into the lane.
The combination of Harris’ skill of working off screens and Philadelphia’s difficulty defending that action could wind up playing a huge role in deciding the outcome of the series.