The Cleveland Cavaliers came into training camp this year with 14 players who were considered locks to make the final roster and six or seven guys competing for that final roster spot. With Tristan Thompson not having agreed to a deal yet that may open up a second roster spot for the Cavaliers but Cavs fans were curious if a third spot might open up as Joe Harris, previously thought of as a lock for the roster, has not played very well. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports that Harris is not in danger of being left off the roster despite his poor preseason so far.
Haynes even went further than saying Harris is a lock for the roster by saying that it is highly probable that the Cavaliers will pick up his third year option that is worth just under $1 million. Harris is set to make more than $800,000 this season and his contract is fully guaranteed so that is part of the reason he is probably still a lock but another reason is because the Cavaliers like him as a player and think he could be a good piece moving forward.
Harris was the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers out of Virginia. The 6 foot-6 shooting guard was one of the best shooters in the nation in his four years at Virginia as he made 41 percent of his threes and the Cavaliers think they could use that shooting going forward. So far this preseason though Harris has struggled as he is averaging just four points in 18 minutes per game while making just 30 percent of his field goal attempts.
Fans tend to have knee-jerk reactions to a few bad games but the Cavaliers likely will not. The 24 year old saw action in 51 games last season (one start) and made 37 percent of his threes while playing just less than 10 minutes per game so he proved his worth as a rookie. Harris will likely play a big role for the Cavaliers at least early this season as they are dealing with a lot of injuries including one to starting shooting guard Iman Shumpert. With Shumpert out Harris will likely be the backup two-guard behind J.R. Smith.
With Harris being considered a lock to make the team that means that Cleveland has just one spot open, assuming the Thompson situation is resolved. So far Jared Cunningham is the favorite for that spot as he has been great this preseason but Austin Daye and Quinn Cook might also have a shot to earn spot number 15 for the Cavaliers.
