Nets' Joe Harris makes return against Toronto Raptors
The Nets' Joe Harris dribbles against Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Joe during the first half of a preseason game at Barclays Center on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Nets got some much-needed good news before their shootaround Friday when it was confirmed that Joe Harris was available to play against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center.
Harris entered that night’s game to cheers with six minutes left in the first quarter and his first basket was a three-pointer that gave the Nets a one-point lead with a little more than two minutes left in the period.
It was Harris’ first regular-season game since Nov. 14 of last year, when he injured his left ankle in a game against Oklahoma City. Harris, who had two surgeries to repair the ankle, did play in the Nets’ first preseason game but missed the final three preseason games and the season opener on Wednesday because of soreness in his left foot.
“Yeah, I am gonna play tonight. Yeah, I'm excited,” Harris said after the shootaround. “I wanted to try and play the first game, but just wasn't quite where I was supposed to be. Performance, myself, needed just a little bit more time. But I feel good right now and I'm excited to play tonight.”
Having an outside shooter like Harris back on the floor should help an offense that struggled in a 130-108 season-opening loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made with 842 over six seasons, Harris averaged 14.1 points in 2020-21, his last full season with the team.
The Nets and their fans could also get a moral lift from Harris’ return. The team planned to give out “Joey Buckets” T-shirts to their fans at Friday night's game.
"It's obviously going to open up the floor," guard Patty Mills said after the shootaround. "Give driving lane opportunities for our main guys.
“But I think just for him, I think seeing what he went through last year and being close to him, it's almost like a feel-good thing to have him back out there in a regular-season game again. I know he's been through a lot. He's handled it like an absolute champ, so hopefully he can stay healthy, we can keep him out there."
Harris was expected to miss eight weeks at the most after he underwent his initial surgery on Nov. 29. When problems continued to linger, he underwent season-ending reconstructive surgery in March and has been rehabbing since.
Harris, who was unsure how many minutes he would play Friday night, said that doctors have told him that he might experience soreness in other parts of his body as he goes through a long NBA season after being sidelined for almost an entire season.
“I think it's just going to be an ongoing thing a little bit,” Harris said. “It's just about managing ... all of us, we have to manage our bodies throughout the season. I think especially though when you're coming off an injury, we have a few guys in our locker room that are going to have to do the same thing once the intensity starts to ramp up.
“It's an adjustment coming from open gym to practice, practice to the preseason and then so on and so forth. So your body just needs time to get acclimated but, obviously, I dealt with foot soreness but at some point I'm going to be dealing with back or knee or whatever it is and it's just going to be one of those things to manage throughout the season.”
Harris admitted to having some nerves heading into his first regular-season game in close to a year.
“Yeah, but I’m more excited than anything else,” he said. “I’m just grateful to get back on the court. I’ve watched a lot of basketball in the last 11 months. Just to get up and down and compete, that’s what I’m excited about.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
