With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden as headliners on the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets, Joe Harris is not going get the spotlight too often. Longtime Nets fans cherish Joe Harris though, not just because he is the only (healthy) holdover from the plucky Kenny Atkinson squads. Some plays from Saturday’s marquee showdown with the Warriors highlight why (beyond the 67% eFG%.)
Harden posts up in the video below and Harris starts lifting on the weak side, perhaps anticipating a flare screen from Bruce Brown. Brown is either not on the same page, or Steph Curry guarding Harris is quick enough in anticipation. Harris immediately pivots, pitching to Kevin Durant and going straight into a screen on his man. Steph’s momentum means that he has to change directions twice and is only able to put in a late contest. Although KD misses the shot, this is a great look and that’s thanks to Harris’ quick thinking in moving straight from one busted play into the next option. Extra love for the stout screen on Draymond Green (surely Steph, maybe the best screening guard in the league, could appreciate that.)
The Warriors threw a few double teams at KD this game and he didn’t always look comfortable against them. On this third quarter play, he dribbles towards the left corner with Draymond guarding him closely. A timely cut from Harris obviates any possibility of Juan Toscano-Anderson coming over for the double and KD threads-the-needle with a gorgeous pass that has just the right amount of spin, to reward Harris. The pass is a stunner, but show Harris’ cut some love too.
I love the communication and timing on this floppy action. The play is designed for Harris to come off the stagger from Jeff Green and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, with Kyrie’s cut serving as decoy action. Green and Harris do a nice job selling the decoy and Kyrie’s cut is perfectly timed. Steph gets caught Kyrie-watching and Kent Bazemore is distracted by Green’s play-acting, but that only matters because Harris accelerates right as both Warriors are distracted. He misses the shot, but as with the KD miss above, this is a good look and the Nets will take it every time.
Harris is also a capable defender and on a Nets team still finding its way defensively, his contributions on that end deserve a shout. This play starts with Harris playing textbook transition defense, playing safety in case Kelly Oubre beats Bruce Brown to the arc. With that crisis snuffed out, he anticipates and slides over to cut off Juan Toscano-Anderson’s drive to the basket, first gets wide and low to angle Toscano-Anderson towards the help, then shows great quickness to turn without fouling. The steal is just the cherry on top.
The Warriors run a play called “Head Tap” to get Andrew Wiggins good post position, a play that they used to run for Durant back in the day. The tl;dr version is that the ball is reversed around the top while the initial ballhandler sets a cross-screen for Wiggins to get him post position. Usually the screener is a guard, but the Warriors ran it with Juan Toscano-Anderson screening for Wiggins in at least one instance against the Nets. Sadly I don’t have video of the initial set up, but look at how far out Wiggins has the ball in the video below. This is off a play ostensibly designed to get him post position, but Harris has pushed him out all the way to the perimeter. With the play busted, Wiggins is forced to drive into the teeth of the defense, is lucky to get away with a stiff-arm on Harris, and the Nets ultimately force a turnover.
By way of contrast, look at where Wiggins manages to set up out of Head Tap when guarded by James Harden. Money in the bank.
That’s more to praise Harris’ effort than to shine the spotlight on Harden’s. The Nets as a whole did a reasonably good job switching during this game, particularly off ball. Of course, there was the odd Keystone Kops moment, but we won’t dwell on those for now and instead, just give praise to Joey Buckets!