Nets' Joe Harris to Undergo Surgery on Ankle Injury, Expected to Miss 4-8 Weeks

Joe Harris has not played since Nov. 14, and the Brooklyn Nets will be without their sharpshooter for the immediate future due to ankle surgery.

Head coach Steve Nash told reporters the plan is for Harris to undergo surgery on his left ankle to address "a little bone particle."

Nash also said the development is a "good thing" because the timing will allow him to return at some point this season.

This is still another setback for a Brooklyn team that has been missing Kyrie Irving from its backcourt all season because the seven-time All-Star remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.

It is still 14-6 and sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings, but the depth will be further tested without Harris spotting up on the outside to take advantage of the openings created by the defensive attention that James Harden and Kevin Durant draw every time down the court.

Harris is averaging 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14 games this season. He is also shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from deep as one of the best three-point shooters in the league.

If he maintains that pace when he returns, it will mark his fifth straight campaign shooting better than 41 percent from behind the arc.

The Nets are in championship-or-bust mode with all their starpower even if Irving doesn't play this season, so addressing Harris' health in November so he can return for a potential playoff run makes sense.

His ability to punish defenses that attempt to clog the lane for Harden or send doubles at Durant will be all the more important in the postseason when the game often slows down and turns into a half-court battle with championship aspirations on the line.

For now, look for DeAndre' Bembry, James Johnson, Bruce Brown and perhaps Cam Thomas to see more time on the wing.