Joe Harris, a guard for the Brooklyn Nets, will make his season debut against the Toronto Raptors on Friday after sitting out the team’s first game of the year and the last three preseason contests. Harris has pain in the same foot that his surgically repaired ankle is in.
According to Chris Milholen, Harris stated at the shootaround on Friday, “I’m going to play tonight.” “I’m eager. I was trying to play the first game, but I just wasn’t quite where I needed to be. I needed a little more time, but right now I feel terrific and I’m eager to play tonight.
Before having two ankle operations last season, the 31-year-old appeared in just 14 games. Harris has become one of the NBA’s top floor spacers throughout his stint with the Nets, entering his seventh season with Brooklyn. In 2020–21, the sharpshooter topped the league in three-point shooting with 6.4 attempts per game and a 47.5% clip, both career highs.
With this shot, Joe Harris became the @BrooklynNets all-time leader in threes made, passing Jason Kidd! pic.twitter.com/EqrblSx8z4
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2021
The team is trying to prevent the guard from suffering a significant setback early in the season, according to head coach Steve Nash, who called holding Harris out a “precaution.” Harris stated on Friday that Brooklyn’s performance staff has chosen to be cautious in dealing with his foot pain.
Harris claimed that the only symptoms were some discomfort and some edoema in his forefoot. Simply put, it was conservative. For example, I recently underwent reconstructive (ankle) surgery. My navicular spurs were removed in large numbers. Therefore, it’s only that our performance team has been a little cautious.
During the loss to New Orleans, the Nets were missing Harris and Seth Curry, their top two shooters. Curry had ankle surgery this offseason as well, and is still recovering. Both Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton, who are not shooters, perform a critical role as excellent floor-spacers.
It was clear that Brooklyn lacked spacing against the Pelicans. As New Orleans packed the paint and blocked driving lanes, the Nets hit 10-of-33 from three-point range. In that aspect, Harris’ return should be a significant benefit. Brooklyn has more offensive options because to the previous three-point shooting champion’s ability to shoot off movement.
According to Nets guard Patty Mills through Nick Friedell, Harris’ return will “certainly open up the floor.” Give our major guys access to the driving lanes. But considering what he went through the previous year and being close to him, I believe that having him back on the field in a regular-season game is almost like a feel-good thing for him. He’s been through a lot, and I know he handled it all like a total champ, so hopefully he can stay healthy so we can keep him on the field.
Joe Harris went 6-of-7 from three last night.
That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/FQB9ryaS2F
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 19, 2021
Harris will play in a regular-season game for the first time since November of the previous year on Friday. The eight-year veteran said that he is appreciative of the chance even if he is unsure of how long he will play in his season debut.
Harris declared, “I’m more thrilled than anything else.” “I’m really happy to be back playing on the court. In the past eleven months, I’ve watched a lot of basketball. And to simply stand up and walk around. I am thrilled about that.
The article Kevin Durant, Nets getting significant lift from Joe Harris’ return against Raptors originally appeared on ClutchPoints.
