Last Updated on August 12, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Joe Harris carved out a lengthy NBA career by becoming one of the league’s most dependable three-point shooters, using smart movement and quick decision-making to create space on the perimeter. His shooting touch made him a valuable piece on playoff teams, and he earned a reputation as a player who consistently embraced his role and delivered when called upon.

Here is detailed information about Joe Harris, one of the NBA’s top sharpshooters:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Joseph Malcolm Harris
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: September 6, 1991
  • Hometown: Chelan, Washington, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm)
  • Weight: 220 pounds (100 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm)
  • Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)
  • Position: Shooting Guard / Small Forward
  • Jersey Number: 12 (primarily)
  • High School: Chelan High School, Chelan, Washington
    • Named Washington Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010.
  • College: University of Virginia (2010–2014)
    • Key player for the Cavaliers, earning All-ACC First Team honors in 2013.
    • Helped lead Virginia to an ACC Championship in 2014.
  • NBA Draft:
    • Selected 33rd overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Cleveland Cavaliers (2014–2016):
      • Played sparingly in his rookie years before being traded.
    2. Brooklyn Nets (2016–2023):
      • Developed into one of the league’s premier three-point shooters.
      • Won the NBA Three-Point Contest (2019).
    3. Detroit Pistons (2023–present)
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Children:
    • Joe Harris does not have children as of the most recent updates.
  • Siblings:
    • He has three sisters: Kaiti, Jaicee, and Makenzie.
    • His family has a strong basketball background, with his father, Joe Harris Sr., being a basketball coach.

Notable Achievements and Legacy:

  • NBA Three-Point Contest Champion (2019): Displayed his elite shooting prowess.
  • Led the NBA in three-point percentage in both the 2018–2019 (47.4%) and 2020–2021 (47.5%) seasons.
  • Career three-point percentage: Over 43%, placing him among the league’s best all-time shooters.
  • Known for his off-ball movement, efficient shooting, and high basketball IQ.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Joe Harris fits the archetype of a movement shooter and floor-spacing wing, the kind of 6-foot-6, 220-pound perimeter player who doesn’t need heavy dribble creation to bend a defense because his release, relocation and off-ball timing do so much of the work. Defensively, he has generally been best cast as a team-oriented wing defender who holds up against guards and smaller forwards, competes within scheme and uses positioning more than burst or length to survive across matchups. Offensively, his clearest role is as a high-level spot-up threat and secondary scorer, sprinting off actions, punishing help defenders and keeping the floor open for primary creators, which matches both his NBA usage and his long reputation as one of the league’s better three-point shooters. Physically, Harris brings solid wing size and strength rather than elite explosiveness, and that has shaped a game built more on balance, footwork and shooting craft than raw athleticism. In short, his play style is simple but valuable: space the floor, move without the ball, make quick decisions and give an offense cleaner driving lanes almost every possession.

Scouting Report

The easy mistake with Joe Harris is assuming the jumper tells the whole story, because the shot only became dangerous thanks to everything he did before he ever touched the ball. What stands out is how disciplined he was moving through staggered screens, timing relocations along the arc and drifting into passing windows without disrupting the spacing around him. Defenders rarely relaxed for a second because if they lost vision while tagging a roller or helping at the nail, Harris was already lifting from the corner or sliding behind the play for a catch-and-shoot three that came out almost instantly. He wasn’t built to manufacture difficult offense off the dribble, and when opponents forced him into multiple change-of-direction moves or crowded his handle, the possession usually lost its rhythm. That’s the trade-off. His value came from punishing defensive mistakes rather than creating advantages from nothing. He could attack an aggressive closeout with one or two controlled dribbles, finish with either hand, or make the simple extra pass after collapsing the weak-side defender, but those reads worked because defenses were already worried about the shot. Defensively, he relied more on positioning than recovery speed, staying attached through off-ball actions, rotating on time from the low side and using his strength to absorb contact against bigger wings, although quicker guards who changed pace repeatedly could force him into difficult chases that exposed his limited lateral burst. To me, Harris fit best beside a primary creator who consistently bent the defense in pick-and-rolls, allowing him to function as a relocation specialist rather than asking him to improvise with the ball in his hands. The interesting thing is that his influence often showed up in possessions where he never took the shot, because defenders hugged him tightly enough to open driving lanes for everyone else. Stylistically, he shared plenty with Kyle Korver as an off-ball marksman who weaponized movement instead of volume dribbling, while parts of his game also resembled Doug McDermott, though Harris played with a little more physicality attacking closeouts and holding his ground defensively. — Mat Diekhake, HeatingUp

Sources: NBA.com — “Morning Tip: 2018 NBA Draft Mock Draft”; Basketball-Reference — “2022-23 Brooklyn Nets Roster and Stats”; Basketball-Reference — “2023-24 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats”; Michigan Athletics — “Michigan Basketball Article Pack 2010-11 Season”