Joe Harris entered this year’s Las Vegas Summer League as the only player who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. In fact, he was the only player on the Cavs Summer League roster who played in the NBA last season (NBA journeyman D.J. White was also on the roster). So, it is safe to say Harris was expecting to have a big week in Vegas, as sophomores usually have the upper edge in the Summer League and have breakout games that launch them into their second season. Unfortunately for Harris though, this Summer League didn’t turn out how he expected and he may have missed a mighty chance as a result of it.
Now, before I dive into the stats and explain how Harris failed to impress at the Summer League, this must be pointed out: Harris was playing a new role in Vegas with the Cavs. After spending last season as purely a catch and shoot player in Cleveland, Harris was expected to be a lot more aggressive in the Summer League and had to create his own shot. Playing with D.J. Seeley, Keifer Sykes and John Shurna is a lot more different than playing with the likes of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Harris didn’t have the luxury of the Big 3 feeding him the ball in Vegas and that has to be remembered when breaking down his Summer League performance. Harris was asked to play a role he hadn’t played since his college days and it showed. Despite that though, Harris looked more like a rookie rather than a second year player in Vegas.
During Cleveland’s three Summer League matches (Harris didn’t play in one of the Cavs Summer League game), the former Virginia Cavalier averaged 8.0 points per game, 2.5 rebounds a game, 1.2 assists a game and shot an ugly 23.3% from the field and 26.1% from the three point line. Harris had 6 points in the Cavs opening Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors, where he shot 0/4 from downtown and 2/10 from the field. The next day against the Brooklyn Nets, Harris didn’t serve much better, scoring 8 points, shooting 1/5 from beyond the arc and, again, 2/10 from the field. Harris was having a poor third against the Milwaukee Bucks until he heated up late, during the Cavs ridiculous 21-point comeback, as he finished with 13 points, shooting 4/8 from three point land and 4/12 from the field. Unfortunately, Harris probably left his worst till last in Vegas. In the Cavs final Summer League match against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Harris scored 5 points, shooting 1/6 from three-point land and 2/11 from the field. Ugly.
There is simply no way to defend these numbers from Harris. He didn’t look confident in Vegas, as many times during possessions he would simply stand in the corner and wait for the ball. He wasn’t demanding the ball like you’d expect a second year player to do during the Summer League and when he did get the ball, he looked hesitant. Harris passed up too many open looks during the Summer League and his shot didn’t seem as smooth as it did last season. Harris looked like a shell of the player who played 51 games for the Cavaliers last season and if you watched him in Vegas, there would be no way you would think this was the same player who shot a touch below 37% from the three point line last season.
The Summer League is a place where players come to either battle for a job in the NBA, the D-League or overseas or it’s a place where players simply come to develop and build confidence. For Harris, it was the latter but unfortunately his confidence looked shaken at the Summer League and signs of Harris’ development was nowhere to be seen. The expectations for Harris heading into Vegas was that he would show that his developed a more sound offensive game and that he could possibly break into the Cavaliers rotation next season. Unfortunately, Harris looked liked a player who needs more time with the Canton Charge in the D-League, as, despite showing slight improvements in his defensive game, his Summer League was nothing short of a disappointment.
With his poor showing in Vegas, Harris also missed a big chance to possibly be a rotational player in Cleveland next season. It’s clear that the Cavs are searching for another playmaker and scorer off the bench. They have expressed interest in both Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson and went out and signed Mo Williams. There is still a good chance that they bring back J.R. Smith; “We just have to find a way to make it work,” described Cavs GM David Griffin, per Chris Haynes, of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
Although, despite Cleveland’s interest, both the Crawford and Johnson rumours have died down, as the Nets have said Johnson isn’t going anywhere and for the Crawford trade to work, the Cavs would have to most likely include Anderson Varejao in the deal, something they aren’t interested in. Smith’s situation is a complex situation and while it’s more likely than not he is returning to Cleveland, it’s still a question mark.
This created an big chance for Harris to have a monster Summer League and show Griffin that he had a scorer off the bench already. Harris had a chance to show out at the Summer League and possibly crave out a bench role for the Cavaliers next season. Harris was unsuccessful in his attempt to show the Cleveland coaching staff what he could do in Vegas and as a result, may have blew his chance to fill a need for the Cavs.
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Now, Harris definitely still has a chance to prove himself in training camp and the pre-season but he didn’t do himself any favors in the Summer League.
The Cavaliers Summer League wasn’t as exciting or intriguing as it was in previous years. The quality of basketball was poor, as turnovers, defensive breakdowns and poor shooting dominated the week, which is something that isn’t surprising in the Summer League. Throw a bunch of rookies and young players together for a week and the results aren’t going to be pretty. Despite this though, Harris was definitely underwhelming for Cleveland during the Summer League and he may have let a massive chance slip right through his fingers.