Joe Harris’ season is over. Nets general manager Sean Marks revealed that the 30-year-old shooter will undergo a second surgery on his ankle.
Speaking with YES Network’s Michael Grady, Marks said that the decision came within the last 24 hours and that the team will follow up with Harris in a week or two after the surgery is completed.
The Nets released a statement from Marks elaborating on Harris’ situation.
“Although Joe worked diligently over the past several months to rehab his ankle and exhausted every possible avenue in order to get back on the court with his teammates, it has been determined that he will require an additional arthroscopic surgery in the coming weeks. While it is expected that Joe will make a full recovery following the procedure, it will unfortunately result in him missing the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. We know how deeply disappointed Joe is to miss this stretch run, but he remains a huge part of who we are as an organization and while he won't be able to contribute on the court, his presence and positivity around the team will continue to be felt by all.”
Harris played just 14 games for Brooklyn this season. In that time, he averaged 11 points on 45 percent shooting.
The eight-year veteran suffered the injury on Nov. 14 and surgery soon followed. There was a four-to-eight week recovery period, but there was apparently more that needed to be done. Harris’ agent Mark Bartlestein told the New York Post in early February that there was a chance that the Washington-native would need a second surgery.
“It’s possible that there could be one more procedure he could do that would fix the ankle once and for good. But we’re not sure if we need that or not,” Bartlestein said. “So the long-term prognosis is great, it’s not gonna be a problem; but it’s just do we need to do something additional right now or not, and we’re just trying to figure that out.”
Question marks surrounding Harris’ return is a big reason why the Nets traded, in part, for Seth Curry from the 76ers. Curry’s ability to shoot the three, like Harris can, is vital to Brooklyn’s playoff hopes.
