Perhaps the Raptors can send him to the G League to play as the 905’s starting point guard to work on his playmaking skills and hopefully parlay a good campaign into a standard contract, like what happened to Chris Boucher.Īnother 905 stint might still be in the cards, but I believe Harris needs a step up in competition for him to take his game to the next level. Much like Flynn, Harris is not a raw 19-year-old prospect, so there’s not quite the same upside to playing in the G League next season. At the very least, he showed that he deserves a second two-way contract. Still, there’s no guarantee that he’ll get a standard contract.
Looking ForwardĮven with a small sample size with the main club, I believe Jalen Harris has shown enough to compete for a full roster spot next season. The combination of his handles, footwork, and patience navigating for open spots around the teeth of the defense made us forget that Harris was a relatively unknown rookie in just his ninth real NBA game. Harris repeatedly attacked the Mavs’ defense, showing off his shiftiness in his forays to the basket. Harris opened the game with a floater over Dwight Powell’s outstretched hands and later on put him on an island, using a nice pump-fake to get a lay-up in his face. In all, Harris started to show more confidence in his all-around game. His perimeter game continued to be on-point, but he also showed more of his ability to get in the paint and hit the open man around the perimeter. It wasn’t until the Memphis Grizzlies game when Harris saw his minutes go up, along with his usage. In this game, he started showing his knack for re-location around the perimeter and being ready for the catch-and-shoot. His catch-and-shoot game was still on-point though.Īgainst the Los Angeles Clippers, Harris showed the fanbase his athleticism and feathery bounce, as he really got up to finish a contested fastbreak.
Harris showed a bit more against the Los Angeles Lakers, but he also came to realize the defenders were now bigger and faster around the rim.
Harris started creeping into the rotation against the Utah Jazz, and while he splashed his perimeter shots, it was clear he was not at game-speed defensively. ❤️ /V8QiH4tVFQ- Toronto Raptors November 21, 2020 Harris shot 50 percent behind the arc on 5.7 attempts per game in the G League, which is insane because he only shot 36.2 percent at Nevada, and his spot-up shooting was one of the more prominent question marks on his game. He showed an ability to come in “cold” after sitting on the bench for a while and still nailing his first shot despite playing off-the-ball. Harris was always shot-ready with the 905. Harris’ role with the Raptors 905 is clear: as the starting shooting guard, he needs to show his scoring punch as a three-level scorer, be a secondary playmaker to Malachi Flynn, occasionally run the point, and show what he can do defensively. Now the question is obvious: did Harris do or show enough to be part of the Raptors’ future plans? Let’s review. During that stretch, Harris averaged 10.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists while shooting 44.4 percent behind the arc on around four attempts per game. Harris resurfaced later in the season for the Raptors, appearing in nine straight games. Luckily for Harris, the G League pushed through, and he was able to showcase his skill set before injuries took away his opportunity to do more. As expected, Harris barely saw time with the main club when they were still jockeying for playoff positioning. It was a bit of a gamble on Harris’ part due to the team’s depth chart at the guard spot and the uncertainty regarding the 2020-21 G League season.
The 59th pick overall signed with the Raptors as a two-way contract player. As the cursed year wound down and it became clear the Raptors were not trying to make it into the play-in tournament, Harris took advantage of some increased playing time to prove he deserves to be in the NBA. The Toronto Raptors’ season ended in disappointment, but if we have to look for some of its bright spots, Jalen Harris is one of them.