Joe Harris

Joe Harris
SG/SF - 6’6, 200lbs - 26 years old - 4 years of experience

Very good season for Harris overall, coming mostly off the bench behind Crabbe, a player he is just as good if not better than. This time last year in this space, I wondered whether Harris would be an NBA player going forward and felt he was on the fringes. Now, however, he is looking at a big pay day.

Harris’s main virtue still remains the three-point stroke, and the 41.9% outside shooting is an eye-opening number. He has however worked to become more than just another shooter, and rather famously led the league this season in field goal percentage off of drives, ahead of even LeBron James. It is true to say that Harris’s drives are much more opportune, selective and lesser-defended than James’s, but it still speaks to his offensive IQ and ability to work off of the threat of his own shooting.

Harris has also made the best of his defensive limitations, too. Not especially quick by NBA standards, Harris has countered by very much bulking up and playing more physically on the wings, by competing, and rotating well. He does his best to stay in front, even against speedsters, and rates out at a pretty average defender on the wings overall. And that is plenty good enough of a defender to be.

Entering unrestricted free agency for the first time, he is surely now about to get paid. As for how much – well, Wayne Ellington got two years and $12.7 million. How about that much?

Player Plan: Entering unrestricted free agency off of a minimum salary deal. Will have a minimum salary cap hold as a result, which helps, as cap room can be used before re-signing him with Early Bird rights. Said rights could be used to re-sign him for 105% of the average salary, or near-enough $8 million. As an average player, the average salary works here.

Joe Harris
SG/SF, 6’6, 219lbs, 25 years old, 3 years of experience

His best year, but not a good one. The three-point efficiency is there, but everything else isn't, and what three-point shooting there is is mostly off the catch. He is not doing the best work to get open off of screens, nor shooting well when he does. Roster spots and money may be better spent elsewhere even with the need and want for shooters.

Player Plan: Unguaranteed minimum salary for 2017/18, final year. Guarantee date is before the moratorium, thus essentially functioning as an option. Would waive and, if so desired, bring him back afterwards; he has not played well enough to be snapped up that quickly.

Hey!

Aside from his free throw stroke, which disappeared last year for no apparent reason and which will probably come straight back, Harris is almost as good of a shooter as there can be. Be it off of screens or the catch and shoot, Harris is always a threat to shoot, especially in light of his very good size for the wing position. Combining very high IQ (that means he knows where to be on the floor) with a good motor off the ball (that gets him there) and a quick release (that makes it all worthwhile), Harris is a threat in the half court whether or not he ever touches it.

At times, Virginia asked Harris to be a primary creator, and the results were mixed. Harris has always been more of a shot maker than a creator, and he hasn't the handle to be a primary offensive focus or a man who plays a good amount on the ball. Not explosive nor effective in the paint, Harris is something of a straight line driver, not a good thing to say of a primary creator. Harris's shot creation, such that it is, comes from his effective use of shot fakes, pull-ups and step-back jumpers, not from getting into the paint and making plays. Not being especially athletic also affects his projection on the defensive end - despite good footwork and being just as smart on this end as the offensive one, Harris's sub-par foot speed could be exposable at the NBA level.

Nonetheless, with a good shooting stroke, a good basketball brain and the size to do something with it, Harris should get at least a couple of years tryout in the NBA. To stick, he will need to prove he can hold his own defensively, and be a little more selfish.