Nets Rumors: Joe Harris Receives 2nd Opinion After Ankle Injury Setback

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris received a second opinion on his injured left ankle after experiencing setbacks in his rehab, Chris Haynes reported on TNT during the Los Angeles Lakers at Nets matchup Tuesday.

As relayed by Billy Reinhardt of NetsDaily, Harris sought the second opinion, and play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle noted that the focus is for the wing to return after the All-Star break, which ends Feb. 23.

After the Lakers' 106-96 win, head coach Steve Nash confirmed to reporters that Harris got a second opinion and called it standard.

Harris has been out since Nov. 16 with what was initially diagnosed as a left ankle sprain.

Two weeks later, Nash announced that Harris would be undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove "a little bone particle" in his ankle.

Harris' agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Nov. 29 that he was expected to miss four to eight weeks.

The New York Post's Brian Lewis asked Nash about Harris' progress Sunday, and the coach admitted that the wing had some setbacks.

Harris has averaged 11.3 points on 45.2 percent shooting in 14 games this season.

Harris' shooting form was a bit off from previous years, as he averaged 49.5 percent from the field over his last four seasons entering the 2021-22 campaign. However, Harris stayed hot from behind the three-point line, hitting 46.6 percent of his shots from downtown.

The former West Virginia star is in his eighth NBA season. He's led the league in three-point shooting twice and most recently paced the league in that department with a 47.5 percent clip last year.

Harris is one of numerous Nets players who has been forced to miss extended time this season, with Kevin Durant (11 games), Kyrie Irving (40) and LaMarcus Aldridge (14) among those who have been out.

Entering Tuesday, only four players (Patty Mills, James Harden, DeAndre' Bembry and Bruce Brown) had missed fewer than 10 games this year.

Despite the losses, the 29-17 Nets entered their home game against the Lakers just one half-game behind the Miami Heat for first in the Eastern Conference. Adding a sharpshooter like Harris back into the lineup post-All-Star break can only help Brooklyn as it looks for its first-ever NBA title.