Stark
The Winds of Winter
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2012
- Messages
- 22,060
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- 135
Strengths: One the better three-point shooters in the draft, Harris finished his four-year college career second all-time in 3-point percentage (40.7%) and 3-pointers (263) at Virginia… His forte is the catch-and-shoot – he moves tirelessly without the ball, using screens and misdirection to get open… While he is by no means an isolation player, Harris does have a solid handle and effectively uses ball fakes, step-backs, crossovers, and hesitations to create space for his shot or go to the hole... Not overly flashy, but is a very effective passer – anticipates well and quickly delivers to the open man. Averaged 3.2 assists per 40 minutes as a senior at UVA… Not an elite athlete, but is a fairly sticky defender – always has one eye on his man and the other eye on the ball, anticipates well (again), and avoids being picked off by screens by taking proper angles… Tough and durable – broke a bone in his left hand vs. North Carolina (2/11/12) and played the rest of that game and the last eight games of that season with protection on the hand. Also, ranks first all-time at Virginia in games played (135)… Has great intangibles – awareness, unselfishness, fortitude, and leadership…
Weaknesses: Harris has below-average speed and struggles with faster opponents on both ends of the floor… Disappears at times, offensively – because he relies heavily on off-the-ball movement to get open and is adverse to taking potentially contested outside shots, he can be neutralized by a sticky man-to-man defender or good team defense… Not vertically explosive and has a short wingspan (6’6’’), and as a result, does not excel as a rebounder, a shot blocker, and a finisher… Made a subpar 56.3 percent of his shots at the rim this past season, according to HoopMath.com… Struggled from the free-throw line as a senior, making just 64 percent of his attempts. It was the second straight season that his FT percentage dropped. He made a career-high 77.2% as a sophomore…
Notes: A key member of a Virginia squad that won both the ACC regular-season championship and the ACC tournament in 2013-14… Named ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player last season… Had his best season as a junior, averaging a career-high 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game… Made 41.7 percent (65-156) of his three-point attempts in 2010-11, the best by an ACC freshman since 2000… At the NBA Combine, he performed as expected. He was average to below-average in the athletic drills, but was one of the top shooters at the event, making 80 percent of his 2-point jumpers and 64 percent of his 3-pointers…
Outlook: Harris is a heady player, who shoots well, plays solid defense, and hustles. Unfortunately, his below-average athletic ability greatly limits his potential. His intangibles will likely pique the interest of NBA teams, and he could be a role player in the right system, such as the Spurs’ motion offense… If he is not drafted, he should find a job in Europe, where his unselfishness and shooting/passing skills would serve him very well.