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Brooklyn Nets G Joe Harris will undergo ankle surgery and is expected to miss 4-8 weeks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Harris has been out since November 14th due to the injury and will now miss a big chunk of the regular season. Harris is regarded as one of the best 3-pointer shooters in the NBA. He’s led the League in 3-point shooting percentage in two of the past four seasons.
This is a tough break for the Nets, who lack depth on the roster without Kyrie Irving and with the big contracts for Kevin Durant and James Harden. Without Harris, the team has been leaning more on Bruce Brown and DeAndre’ Bembry. We’ve even seen rookie Cam Thomas get some run lately as well as veteran forward James Johnson.
The Nets will need to make time to rest KD and Harden as well as veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin, but at what expense? Brooklyn may have a tough time hanging onto a top spot in the East, which is much more competitive this season. The Nets are still 14-6 and in first place in the conference. That may not last with the Milwaukee Bucks getting hot and other teams emerging.
Harris is expected to be back during the regular season, so this doesn’t impact the Nets’ futures odds much. As long as he can come back and be the outside shooter we know, Brooklyn will be fine and among contenders in the East. It’s still a bit of a knock given Irving’s status and the competitiveness in the conference. The road to the NBA Finals won’t be easy.