Nets' Seth Curry, Joe Harris out for 2022 Opener vs. Zion, Pelicans amid Injury Rehab
October 16, 2022
Brooklyn Nets sharpshooters Seth Curry and Joe Harris have been ruled out of the team's season-opening matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic.
That will leave the Nets without their two best three-point shooters to start the year.
Curry, 32, averaged 14.9 points and 2.6 assists for Brooklyn last season after joining the team as part of the James Harden for Ben Simmons swap, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from three.
He has become one of the NBA's most potent and consistent shooters from beyond the arc, though he's currently dealing with an ankle injury.
"Getting closer every day," Curry told reporters on Oct. 2. "Doing a little bit more and more every day. I'm trying to be smart about it. Pass all the tests I need to pass and get ready to go, and stay mentally engaged at the same time to be ready for the season. [I'm doing] full individual workouts ... a bit of everything except playing 5-on-5. That's pretty much where I'm at."
Harris, 31, was one of several Nets to battle injuries throughout last season and only appeared in 14 games, averaging 11.3 points and four rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from three. He was unable to return to the team in time for the playoffs after needing two surgeries for his left ankle last season.
He is currently dealing with a sore foot.
"My ankle honestly feels fine. It's kind of the rest of my body that has to catch up," he told reporters during the preseason. "You just have little stuff here and there, whether it's your knee or back, certain stuff just kind of flares up that typically hasn't popped up in the past, but that's all part of the rehab, too. I hadn't played since last November, so taking that much time off and then trying to get back into the swing of things, the ankle is definitely feeling great but it's kind of the rest of the body that's got to get acclimated."
Starting the season without the pair will certainly impact Brooklyn's floor-spacing, a must for a team that likely will start two non-shooters in center Nic Claxton and power forward Ben Simmons.
The team rolled with a starting 5 of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Royce O'Neale, Simmons and Claxton in its final preseason game, which likely will be the starting lineup on Wednesday as well.