Less than 48 hours until Game 1 of the Brooklyn Nets' opening round playoff series against the defending NBA champions Toronto Raptors, veteran swingman Joe Harris wasted absolutely no time in gearing up for what should be a must-watch Eastern Conference clash.
Fresh off a quick meal with Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Doug McDermott, Harris was then off to practice on Saturday afternoon, but not before stopping to chat exclusively with ClutchPoints as life in the bubble is something that the professional sports world has never seen before this summer.
According to Harris, who is looking stay down in Orlando for a bit longer as the Nets attempt to pull off a monster upset over the Raptors, life hasn’t been all that bad in the bubble.
“Obviously it’s an adjustment at first, I guess a lot of unknowns when [we] first came in here,” Harris told ClutchPoints on Saturday. “I’d say like the first week or so [was] definitely an adjustment. … Now that we’ve been here for a few weeks and it’s become part of the routine, I really don’t have any complaints whatsoever. “
Although things are definitely about to tighten up as the playoffs come for the last 16 teams standing, Harris noted that he has felt incredibly safe throughout his time in the NBA restart. Moreover, the league has provided more than enough activities to keep them busy, with golfing, boating, fishing, hitting the pool, hanging at the lake or bowling helping players escape from the game for at least a little while.
However, Harris insisted that it has still been pretty much business as usual in terms of playing high-level basketball and preparing for hungry opponents.
“With the exception of the testing and some of those things, everything is pretty much the same,” Harris added. “We practice every single day, we have the same sort of format in terms of our recovery stuff [and] our stuff that we do with our strength coaches. And then, the NBA has done a really good job providing a lot of different activities for guys during our off days or any sort of free time that we have. We have a lot of things accessible to us.”
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the bubble has been the fact that players have been allowed to co-mingle with other players and NBA personnel while in Orlando. Although the coronavirus pandemic is obviously a less than ideal situation for the entire world, let alone the NBA, it appears as though players throughout the league have found a silver lining to this whole scenario and are absolutely taking full advantage of its “summer camp, AAU vibe.”
Typically, NBA franchises would never have the accessibility to this much crossover between teams, but the bubble has given players the rare opportunity to interact with one another on a level that has never been seen before – and may never be seen again.
“That’s one of the coolest things about all of this. It definitely has this big AAU, summer camp type vibe to it where the only people you are crossing paths with are the other guys on other teams, other staff and NBA personnel. There’s nobody else in here. On a daily basis, you’re interacting with guys on other teams. You’re not [usually] doing this stuff during the season.”
Adding to the uniqueness of the generally unfortunate, though ongoing situation at hand, NBA players down in Orlando have been able to rekindle past relationships, which is quite possibly something that they may not have done ever again. Former college and NBA teammates being together in a group setting one more time truly is a major silver lining.
Without the bubble, there is a legitimate chance that these unforgettable interactions would have never happened elsewhere.
“There’s a lot of guys where there’s crossover with former teammates – whether NBA or college, whatever it might be. I’m obviously lucky that I have [former University of Virginia teammate Justin Anderson] on my team and it’s been a lot of fun. But like Justin and I will go and meet up with Malcolm [Brogdon] (of the Indiana Pacers), he’ll go and see Devin Hall (of the Oklahoma City Thunder), there’s a lot guys from Virginia that are down here so we do get a lot of cross interaction with other teams because of our past college experiences,” Harris shared.
All things considered, and outside of missing some family members and significant others here and there, Harris certainly wouldn’t be opposed to playing in a bubble scenario again if necessary. The seasoned sharpshooter also believes most of his NBA colleagues would agree.
“I’d say it’s definitely doable,” Harris said of potentially having to enter the bubble for a second time down the road. “I think everybody would probably echo the same thing, too.”
The 28-year-old did note, however, that not having people in the stands is less than ideal for both the players and the fans alike.
“It sucks for the fans. People want to go to the games. Especially at the Barclays, the atmosphere is amazing in there. For what it’s worth, the NBA has done a good job of making this as good of an experience for the fans outside the bubble. Constantly providing a lot of content, the games on T.V. themselves have been really good. It is unfortunate that we probably are not going to be [playing in front of fans] for the foreseeable future.”
Nets A Threat To The Raptors?
Even in a very different world down in Orlando at the moment, one constant has always remained – basketball comes first.
For Harris and the Nets specifically, they have been dealt a tough hand after entering the bubble without a slew of well-known players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan. Nonetheless, Brooklyn has managed to adapt – and adapt well, at that – as they have played some entertaining and cohesive basketball over the course of the last few weeks.
“For us, we had a lot of guys that were dealing with some different family stuff, health stuff. We ended up coming down here originally on the plane ride with only nine guys,” Harris noted.
“We have a lot of new faces, a lot of different guys that weren’t part of the team during the regular season but it’s been a pretty great experience thus far in the sense of building up some continuity and chemistry with guys that you might not have really been familiar with beforehand. We’ve all bonded a lot off of the court and I think that has translated onto it obviously.”
Despite the fact that the Nets literally had to band together to get to know one another in Orlando, Harris is confident that they will not only be prepared for the Raptors, but will also serve as a dangerous opening-round opponent for the defending champs. Harris and company will be entering the first round of the postseason with some serious confidence, poise and the mindset that they have absolutely nothing to lose due to the lack of expectations that continue to surround this team.
It appears as though the Nets wouldn’t have it any other way either, making them more than a worthy opponent for the heavily favored Raptors.
“At the end of the day for us, we realize the reality of the matter. We are not going to be favorites in any game that we play from here on out but we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing: try to play the right way, be competitive, play hard, play smart, play together and let the chips fall as they may,” Harris furthered.
“We got nothing to lose. On paper, we’re not supposed to win. For us, it’s all been about being loose and being free and trying to play the right way, too. We know what we do; we know what is going to allow us to have success. We don’t have any superstar guys that we can just throw the ball to and rely on. Obviously [Caris LeVert] has really stepped up huge for us since being down here. But he is really our only guy who can go and make a play one-on-one. We have to play together, sacrifice for each other on the defensive end and share the ball offensively. You play like that, and you can live with whatever the result is.”
Joe Harris Not Thinking About Free Agency
With the Nets set to battle it out with the always competitive Raptors, Harris couldn’t be more focused on the present. Despite the fact that the former second-round NBA Draft pick is slated to become a free agent this offseason, Harris believes that everything will ultimately work itself out.
As reported earlier, Harris also made a point to mention that staying in Brooklyn would absolutely be ideal.
“To be honest, I haven’t really put a ton of thought into it,” Harris said of his looming decision as a free agent. “All of my focus and attention has really just been on making the most of this season that we’re in right now, trying to finish things out the right way. But for me, Brooklyn is home. That’s where I’ve been the last four years. I have a lot of great relationships with everybody that’s here. In an ideal scenario, I would just stay in Brooklyn.”
Despite flying under the radar for a few seasons to begin his professional playing career, Harris has remained humble, professional and a quality teammate. Even after having to wait his turn to step into the limelight of the NBA, the soon-to-be free agent is more than likely about to encounter the old adage “good things come to those who wait.”
Joe Harris is in line for a massive pay-day this offseason – and rightfully so. Since joining the Nets, he has won the NBA Three-Point Shootout, led the league in 3-point shooting percentage and is currently in the midst of a career-year in terms of both scoring and rebounding.
Whether it is with the Nets or elsewhere, Harris will no doubt provide a stable and reliable presence both on and off the court for any team that will be lucky enough to have him moving forward. Not to mention the fact that he has quickly become one of the best all-around shooters in the league today.
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