Brooklyn Nets: Understanding Joe Harris’ value

Joe Harris doesn’t provide eye-popping statistics or highlight reel dunks, but he is quietly one of the most important players for the Brooklyn Nets.

Role players tend to go unnoticed on a nightly basis. Whether it’s due to inconsistency or the lack of flashy highlight plays, those players that make their living setting screens, running around to receive open shots or crashing the boards are often unheralded for their contributions.

For a team like the Brooklyn Nets, those role players are the heart and soul of the team, especially given the lack of a true star on the roster. Perhaps no role player exemplifies this more for Brooklyn than Joe Harris.

Harris is already 27 years old but has appeared in just 228 NBA games as a result of staying all four years in college and sparingly seeing the floor in his first two seasons in the league with the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.

After being dumped in a trade and subsequently waived during the 2015-16 season, Harris signed with the Nets during the 2016 offseason and immediately carved out a consistent role in the team’s rotation. Given Brooklyn’s lack of draft assets during those years, the front office was focused on finding hidden gems around the league, which is exactly what Harris has turned out to be.

An elite shooter and floor-spacer

Fast forward to this season and Harris is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and a key cog on a team that has completely turned around its season to be in the thick of the playoff race.

While Harris’ numbers won’t pop out on a screen, his presence is vital for the Nets’ offense. As Matt Moore of The Action Network recently discovered, Harris has been the most efficient jump shooter in the entire league and has been at the top of the league in other categories such as catch-and-shoot points per possession, shooting off screens and shots off dribble hand-offs.

Harris is knocking down 47.4 percent of his 3-pointers, attempting five per game. That number should certainly climb up to at least seven attempts given his accuracy and the way he can bend defenses with his off-ball movement.

If you aren’t playing close enough to Harris, he’ll run around an effective Jarrett Allen or Ed Davis screen (Allen is sixth in the league in screen assists, Davis is 18th) and be open for a 3-pointer. Overplay on Harris and he’ll make an effective cut to the rim for a layup. Sometimes Harris will burn defenses regardless, continuing to run around and through the paint after coming off a screen, which often leads to open layups.

Harris is once again having a strong positive impact on the Nets’ offense when he’s on the floor. Harris’ shooting ability does wonders for the team’s floor-spacing, which is why it’s not a surprise the Nets’ frequency of shots at the rim increases when Harris is on the floor pulling defenders out to the perimeter.

Given that Harris often finds himself playing alongside one of D’Angelo Russell or Spencer Dinwiddie (and sometimes both), spacing the floor for their drives to the rim will lead to plenty of easy scoring opportunities for Brooklyn.

More than just a marksman

However, to those who think that Harris is just a great shooter and nothing more, you are sorely mistaken. Sure, his game and value are built around his elite shooting and off-ball movement, but just like defenses continue to learn about the other facets of his game on a nightly basis, you too may be surprised to learn that Harris is also a solid passer and very good finisher around the rim.

When Harris isn’t shooting 3s, he is often getting to the rim for layups, where he is an impressive finisher given his limited athleticism. So far this season, the 27-year-old wing has shot 61.7 percent from within three feet of the rim, which is actually down from last season (70.6 percent). Given Harris’ modern shot chart, it’s very important and valuable that he is an efficient scorer from beyond the arc and around the rim.

Meanwhile, it’s clear that ball movement is key for the Nets’ offense. Brooklyn is third in the league in passes made per game and it isn’t uncommon for all five players to touch the ball on a possession. Since Harris runs around screens so often, his ability to find the rolling big man is key for the offense to stay in a rhythm.

Harris is averaging 2.5 assists per game (three per-36 minutes), which is a solid number given the limited time he actually has the ball in his hands (though he can create scoring opportunities for teammates when he does become a ball-handler).

After being one of the first free agency signings made by general manager Sean Marks back in 2016, Joe Harris has blossomed into a key figure for the Brooklyn Nets, a team that is poised to make a lot of noise this season and in future years to come.