Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from big Game 1 win at Philadelphia

2. Harris helps Nets settle in

Joe Harris missed his first 3-point attempt for the Brooklyn Nets, who missed their first three shots and fell behind the Philadelphia 76ers early in Game 1 on Saturday.

But then Harris made his next three attempts from 3, finishing the first quarter with nine points as the Nets righted themselves and took a 31-22 lead into the quarter break when DeMarre Carroll knocked down a step-back 3 with 3.3 seconds remaining.

Harris only had four points the rest of the way, but it was enough for the Nets, who dominated much of the game en route to a Game 1 victory.

Harris is most often compared — because this is how we do things in this business, we want to make things that look similar be similar — to players such as Philadelphia’s J.J. Redick.

But Harris dominated the head-to-head matchup with Redick on Saturday, going 5-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep while also grabbing three rebounds and playing well defensively.

Redick was a mess. He was 2-for-7 overall, 1-for-4 from deep, and fouled out in just 23 minutes with five points and three turnovers, grabbing one rebound and doing little else of consequence.

And this is where the comparisons of Harris to players such as Redick and Utah Jazz’ sharpshooter Kyle Korver fall short.

Yes, Harris is a white guy who can shoot 3-pointers well, just like Redick and Korver.

But unlike those two players, Harris can do other things as well. Harris is more than capable of driving to either create a shot for a teammate or finish himself inside.

He’s also not a defensive liability — a coaching staff doesn’t have to set up a defensive game plan designed to hide Harris so they can keep his shooting in play.

He’s not Tony Allen and never will be, but with work, Harris has become a competent defender and a strong finisher inside.

He has become the ideal wing for Brooklyn’s pace-and-space system because of the shots he takes — he gets 3s or he gets to the basket and does very little in between.

Of his shots this season, 51.6 percent were from behind the arc and 41.7 percent were inside of 10 feet from the hole, including 27.9 percent in the restricted area.

If you’re a pace-and-space wing and you’re taking 79.5 percent of your shots either from 3-point range or at the rack, you’re doing it right.

Joe Harris did it right all season long for the Nets and he did it right again to help steady the team through a shaky start.