The Nets attempted 15 fewer 3-pointers than their opponent in Saturday’s loss to the Suns, and afterward James Harden pointed to spacing that “wasn’t good” in partly explaining their offensive issues.
The sharpshooter, who is supposed to chuck up those shots from deep and create better court balance, will be away for a long while.
Joe Harris, who has been sitting since twisting his left ankle Nov. 14 in Oklahoma City, was set to undergo surgery on that ankle Monday afternoon. His agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed to The Post he is expected to miss another four to eight weeks.
The Nets did not provide a timeline before the procedure was performed but were hopeful that going under the knife would be the best long-term solution. Steve Nash said doctors were removing “a little bone particle” from Harris’ ankle that had not been healing as they had hoped.
“We thought it would potentially sort itself out because [the bone particle has] been in there, but it’s not, so we made a firm decision,” the Nets coach said at practice in Brooklyn on Monday. “Hopefully that’s the end of it, and he doesn’t have to … deal with it.”
Harris has missed six games while he and the Nets were waiting to see how the ankle would heal. If the timetable proves accurate, he would miss between 15 and 31 more contests.
Harris has been remarkably durable for Brooklyn, playing in 292 games from 2017-18 through last season (73 per season). Harris underwent ankle surgery in February 2016, when he was with the Cavaliers, but on his right ankle.
Without Harris, Patty Mills has jumped into the starting five and has excelled. Entering play Monday, Harris was second in all of the NBA in 3-point percentage (46.6 percent), but trailed his own teammate because Mills led the league at 50 percent.
The depth behind Mills will continue to be tested. Rookie Cam Thomas, who is more of a scorer and less a pure shooter than Harris, has received more minutes.
“It’s big. Cause Joe, you know, best shooter in the league,” Thomas said as the Nets prepared for a face off with the Knicks at Barclays Center on Tuesday. “Of course we’re going to miss him, but it’s next man up. If that’s me, I gotta be in the rotation and knock down those shots that he usually makes.”
Harris usually makes a lot of them, draining the sixth-most 3s (211) in the league last season and serving as a valuable beneficiary of the attention Kevin Durant and Harden receive. But when the Nets cannot space properly and have, say, Bruce Brown (31.8 percent from 3) on a wing, there is less room for Harden to operate.
“It’s a challenge. He brings a lot to the table,” Nash said of Harris, who is averaging 11.3 points and four rebounds per game. “Obviously an elite shooter, he spaces the floor. He’s such a great teammate, plays with pace and toughness defensively. He boxes out, does all the little things, so when you add it all up, it’s a lot to miss.”
The Nets already are very publicly playing shorthanded because Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated. Nash said big man Nic Claxton, who has not played since Oct. 25 because of a non-COVID illness, is “getting better” and should return “in the next week or so.”
Brooklyn will take any help where it can find it. Harden has struggled to find his shot with the rule changes and without an extra shooter on the wing or a big man to catch alley oops, Kevin Durant has logged at least 37 minutes in his past four games and the Nets continue to struggle against the elite teams.
If they want to see how they stack up against the best when at better health, they likely will have to wait until January to see Harris draining 3s from the wing again.
“We think this is a really positive thing that can put this situation behind him long term rather than risking reoccurrences,” Nash said.