Joe Harris is the most underrated shooter in NBA History

When the topic of "Best Shooter in NBA history" comes up, the usual suspects are the first ones always mentioned — Stephen Curry, Reggie Miller, and Ray Allen, three of the five players with the most 3-pointers made in league history. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are names brought to round out that ranking.

Underrated names thrown around to show basketball knowledge are JJ Redick, Steve Kerr and Kyle Korver, who were very efficient and had success as role players who specialized in making 3s. Yet, there's one player who was active at the same time as most of these players, was better than them at his best, and his name isn't even among the honorable mentions.

Joe Harris deserves more respect.

He was a solid defender, could score at the rim, step in and hit a mid-range jumper. All of that complemented what was an elite level of shooting from downtown that should make people consider him one of the best five shooters ever. Whether it was on the move or in a standstill, in the corner, above the break or on the wing, in transition or in the halfcourt, Harris was almost automatic from 3.

If you were watching a Brooklyn Nets game from 2018 through 2021 and you saw Harris elevate for a 3-pointer, you could go ahead and add a plus-3 to the Nets score before it went through without touching the net. One could argue that from 2018-19 to 2020-21, a span of three seasons, he was the best shooter in the NBA.

Now, it should be noted that Stephen Curry (didn't play 70+ games in either of those seasons) and Klay Thompson (didn't play in 2020 nor 2021), weren't completely active around that time, but Harris still deserves his flowers. In that three-season stretch, Harris averaged 14.1 points on 49.7 percent from the field and an insane 45.8 percent from 3 on 5.8 attempts per game. He led the league in 3-point percentage twice (2019 and 2021), and for whatever it's worth won a 3-Point Contest (2019).

Let's focus on his 2019 campaign.

With both Curry and Thompson healthy, they would end up losing in the Finals to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, Harris led the league in 3-point percentage making 47.4 percent on 5.1 attempts per game. Though he wasn't depended on for his prowess (he didn't rank among the top 20 in attempts), he contributed to what was a team effort from a Nets team that won 42 games.

Harris ended up as the third leading scorer (tied at 13.7 with Caris LeVert) on the first Nets squad since 2014 to finish over .500, and the first since 2015 to make the playoffs. They ended up as the seventh seed and were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in a five-game first-round series best remembered for its antics.

With his quick release, Harris was lethal from the outside, particularly when he caught it and immediately let it fly. In that 2018-19 season, where he played 76 games, he shot 48.1 percent on 4.2 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. For context, here are some other stellar marksmen's shooting on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers:

• Steph Curry: 44.5 percent on 6.7 attempts
• Klay Thompson: 40.4 percent on 6.1 attempts
• Eric Gordon: 38.3 percent on 6.6 attempts
• JJ Redick: 42.3 percent on 4.8 attempts
• Buddy Hield: 46.1 percent on 4.9 attempts
• Danny Green: 47.4 percent on 4.5 attempts

Again, the volume isn't there, but he excelled in what he was asked to do. His success helped Brooklyn to be a destination that caught the eyes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who signed with the franchise in the 2019 offseason.

Two years later, in what was a rocky 2020-21 season for the Nets, Harris attempted one more 3-pointer per game (6.4) and kept the same elite efficiency (47.5 percent), which again led the league in percentage. This may have had something to do with playing with Durant, Irving and eventually James Harden, all players that demanded an extra defender, to the tune of him attempting 49 more open 3s in 2021 than in 2019. He shot an even more insane 51.5 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s while making the second-most shots of this variety. No one on his volume came close, another example of his peak being one of the best ever for a shooter.

But his peak was short-lived. Come playoff time, specifically in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, he couldn't knock down shots and only made 27.5 percent on 6.1 3s attempted in six games. He recovered his form the following year, knocking down 46.6 percent of his 6.3 3s in his first 14 games of the season, but couldn't keep it up as he suffered a left ankle injury that required surgery and was subsequently shut down in March 2022. Though he did come back the following year, his movement wasn't the same on either end, and with that, his production went down until he played his 10th season with the Detroit Pistons to secure his post-retirement benefits before he retired this offseason.

Following the theme of his best years, he didn't finish in the all-time rankings of the volume stats, but he was elite in the efficiency ones — he only finished 148th all-time in 3-pointers made but is currently fifth all-time in the 3-point percentage list, and is the Nets franchise leader for most 3s made. So, put some respect on his name when having the discussion of "Best Shooter in NBA history". He surely isn't one of the top three names in that conversation, but he should be in the conversation rounding out the top five.

It's a bummer that his prime didn't last longer. Maybe he would've extended his elite efficiency, or maybe not, but it would've been nice to see him decide that. Instead, one of the best shooters of the 2010s retired at 32 years old. However, his living a healthy life from this point forward is the most important thing.

Happy 33rd birthday Joe!