Brooklyn Nets' Joe Harris might need second surgery on left ankle, agent says

ByAdrian Wojnarowski ESPN logo
Friday, February 4, 2022

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris might need a second procedure on his left ankle, a decision that will be based on his progress over the next one to two weeks, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN on Thursday.

The Nets have acknowledged "setbacks" in Harris' rehab from a Nov. 29 surgery, pushing back an original four-to-eight-week timetable for return. There's still hope another procedure won't be necessary and that Harris could return to the Nets' lineup on his current course of rehabilitation, but a second procedure hasn't been ruled out, Bartelstein said.

"The rehab in general has obviously gone a little bit longer than initially anticipated, but that's how some of this stuff goes," Harris said Friday. "Not every injury is the same and it's really hard to even put timelines on it, and so the biggest thing with me right now is I'm just trying to get healthy. So when my ankle is right and I'm feeling good enough to play, that's when I'm going to be able to come back."

Harris had the procedure to address a "little bone particle" in the ankle that sidelined him after he was injured Nov. 14.

Harris, 30, had been averaging 11.3 points on 46.6% 3-point shooting this season. He plays a key floor-spacing role on the Nets alongside starsKevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Harris had one of his most productive seasons last season, averaging 14 points on 47.5% 3-point shooting.

ESPN's Nick Friedell contributed to this report.