All Things Jamir Harris - Update: Harris is GOLDEN

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Costa Rican Gopher said:
Harris is considered by the experts to be one of the best shooters in the country & an elite defender. His handle is adequate, but he's on the short side. He's not an immediate impact guy, but the combination of our lack of depth, along with his shooting & defense may get him on the court sooner rather than later. He should be a very good four year player for us.
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IF he's the caliber shooter some are suggesting, he'll find 5-10 minutes in most games and a lot of time against zones. Pitino will find the matchups to get him minutes where he doesn't kill us IF he's as bad on defense as some suggest. If he's and elite defender, he's got a lot more coming as far as time goes.

My guess, he's not as good of a shooter, nor as bad at defense as some suggest and he'll be just fine and play 5-10 minutes next year.
 

Well, in the IMG game posted he is #4 in white and he's a lot quicker in this segment in this game in the part that I watched than he was in the other game I saw. I'm less worried now he can learn how to defend. And he hit a 3 from NBA range and looked smooth. Winasota is likely correct in his analysis. He looks much better here than the game I saw. Excited for him to help next year. Happy to hopefully be wrong.
 

Winasota Gopher said:
IF he's the caliber shooter some are suggesting, he'll find 5-10 minutes in most games and a lot of time against zones. Pitino will find the matchups to get him minutes where he doesn't kill us IF he's as bad on defense as some suggest. If he's and elite defender, he's got a lot more coming as far as time goes.

My guess, he's not as good of a shooter, nor as bad at defense as some suggest and he'll be just fine and play 5-10 minutes next year.
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From what I have seen, he has a lot of range, but is about a 39-40% shooter. Not afraid to shoot from anywhere. His D seems to be suspect, but I have only watched him in AAU games, which tend to be more offensive focused. I think 5-10 minutes a game sounds about right. it is either that, or he redshirts. If Fitz is healthy, Amir will play a lot at the 2.
 

Winasota Gopher said:
If you're suggesting someone shouldn't be so extreme you shouldn't match their level of hyperbole in your request...
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Whatever. Do not understand tearing down a student athlete before/he she has spent one second on the court at the U.

I guess I am a hyperbolic optimist.
 

Keyser Söze said:
I have no idea how good of a defender he is, but this is the first I've heard this. Everything I've read elsewhere is that his defense is a weakness. If he is both an elite shooter and an elite defender, how would he not immediately make an impact?
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Maybe "experts" & "elite" were exaggerations, but so too were the reports of his bad defense. I've never read anything but praise for his defense in the various scouting/game reports I've seen.

ESPN Scouting Report:

Strengths:
Harris is a high level shooter of the basketball. He's advanced for his age because not only does he have deep range, a quick release and the ability to make shots in bunches once he gets hot but also because he makes the type of tough shots that translate to the next level. He's the type of shooter you can run a play for because he runs his man off screens effectively away from the ball and makes shots on the move. He'll run to the arc in transition and compromise opposing transition defenses early in the possession and even can even make three's after a lateral dribble when defenders fly by him in an attempt to run him off the arc. He also has a complimenting one-dribble pull-up game to attack bad close-outs. Harris plays strong with the ball, pounding his dribble and snapping his passes, and also has a very good left hand. He has a strong and chiseled frame that is virtually college ready and has been very well coached on both ends of the floor so he's experienced running offense and defending at a high level. He's a competitive defender who works hard on that end, chases other shooters off screens, closes out well and is active pressuring the ball.

Weaknesses:
He's a straight two-guard who can handle the ball capably within the offense but isn't yet a totally reliable ball-handler or decision maker against pressure. He's also a little undersized for playing exclusively off the ball. The vast majority of his shots (close to 75% in EYBL play) are from behind the arc and so while he has a one-dribble pull-up game he isn't the type of player who is going to break his man down and rarely able to get all the way to, or play above, the rim. The lack of versatility in his attack could make him easier to defend at the next level when scouting reports and more advanced schemes become much more prevalent.


Bottom Line:
He's a slightly undersized two-guard and a little one-dimensional but his shot-making, defensive prowess and strong body are all college ready.

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"Harris defended wings that were 6’4” to 6’7” and occasionally bigs on over 90% of possessions. He’s more built than most but no taller than the 6’1” he’s listed at, so each possession was a tough matchup for him. In the few times he was switched onto a guard in the halfcourt, his on-ball defense and pick-and-roll defense impressed."

Matt Jessen-Howard - Rivals.com

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HoopGroup.com

Defense: A (this was actually the grade his back court was given, but he's a big part of that obviously)

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"Jamir is a mature kid and a mature player. If guys aren't defending and moving the ball he will take their time at the guard spots."

Ryan James - Scout.com

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Random Posters on other sites after watching his game films:

"He also looked like a pretty solid defender and caused the opponent some problems denying the ball from their top guard."

---------------------------

"Handles are less than steller as a 2, and getting his own shot off was not a strength, but physically B1G ready, hard nosed defender, and can shoot on the fly."
 


Tommy Flanagan said:
From what I have seen, he has a lot of range, but is about a 39-40% shooter. Not afraid to shoot from anywhere. His D seems to be suspect, but I have only watched him in AAU games, which tend to be more offensive focused. I think 5-10 minutes a game sounds about right. it is either that, or he redshirts. If Fitz is healthy, Amir will play a lot at the 2.
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I'm not sure Fitz being healthy would have much impact to Harris playing time. If he's a shooter and can defend at all, he's gonna get some minutes. The team lacks shooters. I also don't think Coffey would take that many minutes at the 2 if Fitz is healthy. Amir will get 25-30 minutes at the 3 next year, Fitz will get 10-15 and depending on how big he plays he might get some time at the 4.

Block M said:
Whatever. Do not understand tearing down a student athlete before/he she has spent one second on the court at the U.

I guess I am a hyperbolic optimist.
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I don't disagree with your first statement. I'm just saying you can do it without going overboard the other way.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Maybe "experts" & "elite" were exaggerations, but so too were the reports of his bad defense. I've never read anything but praise for his defense in the various scouting/game reports I've seen.

ESPN Scouting Report:

Strengths:
Harris is a high level shooter of the basketball. He's advanced for his age because not only does he have deep range, a quick release and the ability to make shots in bunches once he gets hot but also because he makes the type of tough shots that translate to the next level. He's the type of shooter you can run a play for because he runs his man off screens effectively away from the ball and makes shots on the move. He'll run to the arc in transition and compromise opposing transition defenses early in the possession and even can even make three's after a lateral dribble when defenders fly by him in an attempt to run him off the arc. He also has a complimenting one-dribble pull-up game to attack bad close-outs. Harris plays strong with the ball, pounding his dribble and snapping his passes, and also has a very good left hand. He has a strong and chiseled frame that is virtually college ready and has been very well coached on both ends of the floor so he's experienced running offense and defending at a high level. He's a competitive defender who works hard on that end, chases other shooters off screens, closes out well and is active pressuring the ball.

Weaknesses:
He's a straight two-guard who can handle the ball capably within the offense but isn't yet a totally reliable ball-handler or decision maker against pressure. He's also a little undersized for playing exclusively off the ball. The vast majority of his shots (close to 75% in EYBL play) are from behind the arc and so while he has a one-dribble pull-up game he isn't the type of player who is going to break his man down and rarely able to get all the way to, or play above, the rim. The lack of versatility in his attack could make him easier to defend at the next level when scouting reports and more advanced schemes become much more prevalent.


Bottom Line:
He's a slightly undersized two-guard and a little one-dimensional but his shot-making, defensive prowess and strong body are all college ready.

----------------------------

"Harris defended wings that were 6’4” to 6’7” and occasionally bigs on over 90% of possessions. He’s more built than most but no taller than the 6’1” he’s listed at, so each possession was a tough matchup for him. In the few times he was switched onto a guard in the halfcourt, his on-ball defense and pick-and-roll defense impressed."

Matt Jessen-Howard - Rivals.com

----------------------------
HoopGroup.com

Defense: A (this was actually the grade his back court was given, but he's a big part of that obviously)

---------------------------

"Jamir is a mature kid and a mature player. If guys aren't defending and moving the ball he will take their time at the guard spots."

Ryan James - Scout.com

---------------------------

Random Posters on other sites after watching his game films:

"He also looked like a pretty solid defender and caused the opponent some problems denying the ball from their top guard."

---------------------------

"Handles are less than steller as a 2, and getting his own shot off was not a strength, but physically B1G ready, hard nosed defender, and can shoot on the fly."
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Nice, maybe he is a good defender after all. Again, I haven't seen him play. Reading those reports is encouraging.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Harris is considered by the experts to be one of the best shooters in the country & an elite defender. His handle is adequate, but he's on the short side. He's not an immediate impact guy, but the combination of our lack of depth, along with his shooting & defense may get him on the court sooner rather than later. He should be a very good four year player for us.
Click to expand...

Our offense does require 1-3 to handle the ball a bit more than some offenses, but if he was really an elite shooter AND defender, I feel like he'd have been getting all sorts of offers. You could barely know how to dribble and I'd take those 2 strengths and make you a great player in year 1.

Not completely doubting these scouting reports, but if he can do both that well right away then we are getting way more than I ever thought.
 

With Harris's rep as a shooter, Washington looks like a scorer and fitz word out of practice he's a shooter can't but help us next year - if we can keep the same level of defense, the new shooters should spread the floor and Murphy/lynch/curry should have big years inside.
 



I don't think we have to worry about his ability to attack the basket at this point. We have Washington for that for the next 4 years. Harris will be the guy Washington kicks to when he gets into the lane. As the shot clock winds down I highly doubt there will be a lot of situations where Harris has the ball taking his guy one on one so for now we should be able to put that issue to bed and let him develop those skills.

As for defense, I too remember reading some things that said he was supposed to be a good defender (maybe some of what was posted above). I would expect any incoming freshman to need some time getting used to the defensive side of DI basketball so I'll give him a year to improve there as well.

The main thing is this guy's shooting. Like I said, when he is in the game he will likely be a guy to get the ball kicked out to or have him coming off some set screens to get open shots.
 

RickDornsby said:
Our offense does require 1-3 to handle the ball a bit more than some offenses, but if he was really an elite shooter AND defender, I feel like he'd have been getting all sorts of offers. You could barely know how to dribble and I'd take those 2 strengths and make you a great player in year 1.

Not completely doubting these scouting reports, but if he can do both that well right away then we are getting way more than I ever thought.
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His offer list was more impressive than Washington's, the bluebloods, probably saw 6'1" and said next
 

Ryan James has said Jamir's high character and high effort will drive him to be a solid defender at the next level. In general I don't think James has even hinted defense could be an issue for him. I think Jamir's biggest deficiencies are size and handles. Hopefully he can improve his handles to the point of being a reliable back up PG, in addition to his abilities as a 3pt threat on the wing.
 

tmvander said:
I don't think we have to worry about his ability to attack the basket at this point. We have Washington for that for the next 4 years. Harris will be the guy Washington kicks to when he gets into the lane. As the shot clock winds down I highly doubt there will be a lot of situations where Harris has the ball taking his guy one on one so for now we should be able to put that issue to bed and let him develop those skills.

As for defense, I too remember reading some things that said he was supposed to be a good defender (maybe some of what was posted above). I would expect any incoming freshman to need some time getting used to the defensive side of DI basketball so I'll give him a year to improve there as well.

The main thing is this guy's shooting. Like I said, when he is in the game he will likely be a guy to get the ball kicked out to or have him coming off some set screens to get open shots.
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I don't disagree with what his role will be on the team, however, we all need to realize that without the ability to attack the rim he will be limited to the outside threat that Akeem was. Akeem was scouted to have limited ability to attack the rim, he looked the part, and had the skills to do it, teams just dared him to finish at the rim which he struggled mightiliy after the 2nd dribble. That scouting report drastically reduced Akeem's ability to create his own shot or get anything but transition and defensive breakdown opportunities.

Jamir is a perfect fit for the offense we like to run AS LONG AS our penatrating guards and bigs develop the ability to hit the kickout, something we've done very little of during our dribble drive situations in the past. (Admittedly, they've not had many knock down shooters to pass to)
 



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