Utah Jazz: Five free agent options at shooting guard
By Ryan Aston
Joe Harris
Joe Harris has been a popular name in the Jazz free agency discussion among J-Notes staffers and for good reason. After two ho-hum years out of the gate, he developed into one of the league’s more versatile sharpshooters over two years with the Brooklyn Nets.
Harris is fresh off of what was unquestionably a breakout season. He averaged a cool 10.8 points and 3.3 rebounds while knocking down 41 percent of his 4.6 3-points attempts per game in ’17-18.
At 26, he’s the perfect age to join the young Jazz. He’s got the skillset to match, too, having diversified his game beyond standing and shooting. The lion’s share of his offense still came off the action of others (nearly 80 percent of his field goals were assisted last season), but he’s shown a burgeoning ability to attack the basket.
Per NBA.com’s player tracking, Harris led the league in field goal percentage on drives. His 62.7 percent just edged out LeBron James (60.3) in that department.
Harris has also begun to throw his 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame around with physicality on the defensive end. He’s far from a defensive wunderkind, but he gives effort and has the size and strength to cover multiple positions on the floor, at least in theory.
More than anything, Harris feels like a Jazzman; Matt Harpring version 2.0. An unselfish, no-nonsense, hard-working player with a penchant for knocking down shots. And he could probably be had for a reasonable price, although he’ll have his fair share of suitors.
Also — he played football in high school, a fact we could all look forward to hearing Craig Bolerjack regurgitate nightly a la Harpring.
Next: Tyreke Evans