Brooklyn Nets sharpshooting wing, Joe Harris, believes many people misunderstand superstar point guard Kyrie Irving.
Joe Harris, a three-point assassin with the Brooklyn Nets, was previously a teammate with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Together, they won the NBA Finals in 2016 with the Cavs.
Now, Harris and Irving will be reuniting once again for the Nets. Harris has been in Brooklyn since the 2016-17 season, with Irving now entering his first season with the organization.
Irving has generally had a bad off-the-court reputation in the NBA. Looking at his chemistry problems with both the Cavs and Celtics, it’s safe to say Irving hasn’t always meshed with his teammates.
However, Harris doesn’t look at it like that. As a matter of fact, the veteran thinks Irving is “misunderstood” for the most part.
“Kyrie, he’s got a big personality,” Harris said Monday during the Net’s 88-85 Summer League victory of the Wizards, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “He’s one of these guys that’s misunderstood. The way that he’s construed in the media is probably going to paint him in a light that is not necessarily true. I’d say you could ask a lot of people that played with him and they’d all say that he’s a great teammate and a good guy to be around.”
Harris this past year averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He did this all on 50% field goal shooting and 47.4% from behind the arc. The latter percentage actually led the entire NBA.
While many like to focus on the bad Kyrie moments, Harris says he’s had many great moments with the superstar.
“I had a lot of good times with him. He’s a lot of fun to be around, whether it’s hanging out, playing video games, grabbing a drink, whatever it might be,” Harris said. “I remember seeing him have like 57 when we played against the Spurs in San Antonio. It was one of the better individual performances I’ve ever seen on the basketball court.”
