Only 32-year-old Joe Harris retired, is it unexpected? Actually, it's not unexpected.
After he was waived by the Nets and traded to the Pistons last year, he was actually in the stage where he couldn't play. In February, the Pistons cut Joe Harris in an effort to close the deal.
After the four-year, $75 million contract he signed with the Nets in 2020 expired, no other team in the league was willing to give him a contract, and Joe Harris was abandoned by the league.
With his physicality and declining marksmanship, it may be difficult to play in Europe. Even in the CBA league, I'm afraid no team will spend money to hire such a foreign player. To put it mildly, Joe Harris's ability can't even be mixed up in the CBA.
So choosing to retire now instead of continuing to struggle is also a more decent way to leave. Harris, who has earned $92.23 million in his career, should also have no worries about food and clothing in the future.
He was a second-round pick in '14, was drafted by the Cavaliers, and was remembered for coming to the Nets. In 19, he defeated Curry and other shooters to win the three-point contest championship, and he became famous in the true sense.
Winning the three-point contest gives Joe Harris a lot of confidence, and confidence is crucial for a shooter. In the 19-20 season, Harris averaged a career-best 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 42.4% from three-point range. It was also by virtue of a season's outstanding performance that Joe Harris signed a 75 million contract, which was also regarded as an inspirational model at the time.
In the 20-21 season, Harris can still average 14.1 points per game, 3.1 three-pointers per game, and shoot 47.5% from the field. Starting with the '17-18 season, Joe Harris shot more than 40 percent from three-point range for six consecutive seasons.
His career three-point shooting percentage is a staggering 43.6 percent, the fifth-highest in NBA history, and the all-time all-time three-point shooting percentage of any player who has made more than 1,000 three-pointers.
But the 21-year playoffs became a watershed and Waterloo in Joe Harris's career. The first round was unharmed, and in the first two games against the Bucks in the second round, Joe Harris hit 5 and 3 three-pointers respectively, which is considered a normal performance. But then, the nightmare for Nets fans began.
In the third game, 1 of 7 three-pointers, 2 of 6 in the fourth game, Tianwangshan threw 1 of 7 again, 1 of 4 in the sixth game, and although he shot 9 of 3 in the tie-break, everything came too late. One of the phrases that Nets fans often talk about is: If Johar scores an extra three-pointer in that series, the Nets will cross the Bucks.
In the semifinals against the Bucks, Harris averaged only 7 points per game in the last five games, shooting only 24.2% from three-point range. From 47.5 percent in the regular season to 24.2 percent in the playoffs, Joe Harris seems to have changed.
The key is that many of his three-point opportunities are completely empty positions that Harden and Durant contained, for him who once won the three-point contest, it was simply meat to his mouth, he opened his mouth, and the meat fell to the ground.
A shooter gains confidence and beats Curry to win the three-point contest is a good opportunity; A shooter loses confidence and just needs a series of poor play. In the 21-22 season, the Nets were once ranked first in the East, but Joe Harris was reimbursed for the season after only 14 games, and he underwent two ankle surgeries and returned from a world of overhaul.
He lost his starting position, played time and was in shambles. In the playoffs in '23, Joe Harris averaged 11 minutes per game in four games, scoring only 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds, without an assist, shooting 15.4% from the field, 8.3% from three-point range, and 25.2% from the field. At the end of the season, the Nets abandoned Joha.
When we evaluate a player, no matter how good his performance is in the tailwind, it can only be used as a small sample of references. Whether he can maintain a very high standard and contribute to the team despite all unfavorable external conditions is the key to whether a player is excellent.
Joe Harris has the potential to be a great goalscorer, but not being able to play against the headwind dooms him to where he is now.