NBA Free Agency: Does Joe Harris’ sweet shooting make him a target for the Bucks?

Fit With Bucks

All teams could use more shooting, but the Bucks are certainly a team who could benefit from an elite knockdown shooter more than most.

It’d be a misnomer to say the Bucks don’t have good shooters, but it’s not inaccurate to say they lack a true specialist shooter whose focus is simply running around screens, hunting three-point looks and maximizing spacing at all times.

Harris could certainly fill that kind of role, and how a player of his ilk could be utilized in Milwaukee is all the more interesting with Mike Budenholzer drawing up plays for him.

In naming Harris to his 2017 edition of the Luke Walton All-Stars, Zach Lowe noted how Kenny Atkinson, who had previously served as Budenholzer’s lead assistant in Atlanta, had tasked Harris with a Kyle Korver-esque role.

"“Atkinson told him to watch film on Korver. Sean Marks, Brooklyn’s GM and a Spurs alum, suggested Danny Green. Meanwhile, Atkinson installed some of Atlanta’s pet Korver plays and let Harris stretch himself. A lot of Brooklyn possessions start with Harris rocketing off a screen on the weak side, catching the ball, and either shooting, driving, or pinging it to the next guy.”"

Harris’ experience and track record of success in that role could certainly serve him well under Budenholzer, while offering the coach a chance to unlock elements of the Bucks’ offense that were never previously on the table in previous iterations.

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Perhaps the Bucks will have other players in mind who are capable of filling that role, whether that’s via the draft, free agency or even from those already on the roster, but Harris is certainly worthy of a close look when July 1 rolls around.