Joe Harris could shine as a sharpshooter next to Brooklyn’s new trio of stars.
The James Harden era in Brooklyn got off to a smashing start, as the Nets took down the Orlando Magic without Kyrie Irving on the back of a triple-double from James Harden and a 42-point performance from Kevin Durant.
Meanwhile, Joe Harris served as Brooklyn tertiary scorer, tallying 17 points on 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-9 from deep.
With or without Irving, Harris could be in line for a huge spike in production, as all of the attention teams will put towards Durant and Harden will likely leave Harris with many more wide-open shots.
Joe Harris on James Harden and the new-look Nets: "It felt like we'd been playing together for a long time." pic.twitter.com/178WicCPET
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 17, 2021
The Nets have two of the most ball-dominant players in the league in Irving and Harden, in addition to arguably the game’s best all-around scorer in Durant. With all of that firepower, who’s going to pay attention to the shooting guard hanging near the 3-point line?
Harris is averaging a career-high 14.6 points per game this season. Having led the league in 3-point percentage in 2018-19, Harris is somehow exceeding that mark, making 49% of his threes on six attempts per game. Harris already started to get some uncontested looks against Orlando, and his number of unchallenged looks from deep should only increase when Irving returns and Harden becomes more comfortable in Brooklyn’s scheme.
Durant, Harden, and Irving are all three of the 10 best scorers in the league, but relying on three players to win basketball games night in and night out isn’t a recipe for a team with championship aspirations.
Harris will play an invaluable role in the Nets’ success this year, as his sweet shooting could help them take down some of the best teams in the East when one or more of their superstars is having a somewhat subpar night.
Nets: 3 free agents to sign after James Harden mega trade
With three roster spots open and enough money to sign some pieces via Dinwiddie’s injury exception, look for free agents like these to end up as Nets.