Joe Harris has patterned his game after JJ Redick. Right now the Sixers’ sharpshooter is taking him to school in this first-round series, giving him a lesson on both ends of the court.
“JJ’s been the key from start to finish,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “He allows Ben Simmons to get his assists and get in rhythm. … It enhances the spacing, allows [Jimmy] Butler driving lanes, allows [Joel] Embiid to go 1-on-1 in the post. He’s the key and we just have to do a better job.”
After Harris got the better of Redick in the series opener, the Sixers made it a point to set better screens for him. They also concentrated on top-locking Harris and took him away in consecutive Nets losses.
“We can definitely screen better for Joe. And Joe can do a better job of getting open and then making open shots when he does have them,” coach Kenny Atkinson said.
“Listen, we’re taxing Joe, putting him on JJ, and we’ll have to look at that. There’s other things we can do, other options. That’s part of it, looking what we can do with our lineups to mix and match up a little.”
In Game 2, Redick’s one-dribble sidestep against Harris helped break the dam in a 51-point third quarter. And Redick had 26 points in Game 3, running Harris through screen after screen and holding the Nets guard to just four points. Brooklyn was 36-21 when Harris cracked double-figures but 5-14 when he didn’t (and 1-5 when he sat).
“I have a huge amount of respect for JJ as a player and he’s certainly somebody I tried to watch a lot whether I was in college and then getting into the NBA, somebody I was going to try and emulate, the way that he moves without the ball, his shooting ability,” Harris said. “It’s a credit to JJ that he’s one of the better-conditioned players in this league. … It’s tough, but that’s the playoffs. You’ve got to be able to guard hard and then work yourself offensively to get shots. It’s a battle at both ends and it’s a learning experience.”
Sixers pending free agent Tobias Harris is a Long Islander, and when his high school coach called WFAN and was asked about getting his former player to sign in Brooklyn, he replied, “I cannot guarantee that, but I’ll do my best when I talk to [him] over the summer.”
Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon is to interview for the Minnesota President of Basketball Operations job, according to ESPN.
