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Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris to undergo ankle surgery, miss 4-8 weeks

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle to remove "a little bone particle," coach Steve Nash told reporters on Monday. A status update will be made after the procedure.

Harris' agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that his client is expected to miss another 4-8 weeks. Harris has not played since rolling his ankle against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 14.

Harris has led the NBA in 3-point percentage in two of the previous three seasons, converting 45.8% of his 5.8 attempts per game during that span. He was shooting 46.6% on 6.3 attempts a night at the time of his injury, good for second in the NBA among qualifying individuals. The league leader is Harris' replacement in Brooklyn's starting lineup, Patty Mills, who is shooting 50% on an average of 6.4 tries through 20 games.

The spacing Harris provides either as an alternative to Mills or alongside him is vital to the success of Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden. The absence of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is sitting out the season in protest of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, makes Harris' availability all the more important.

Brooklyn has been heavily reliant on end-of-the-bench options Jevon Carter and Deandre' Bembry to fill the shoes of Harris and Irving. They are shooting a combined 33.8% on 3.8 attempts from distance per game.

Through it all, the Nets have posted an Eastern Conference-best 14-6 record, thanks in large part to Durant's MVP-caliber campaign. His 28.6 points per game lead the league on 55/41/85 shooting splits.

Harris' absence will do no favors to Harden, whose conditioning issues have lingered since a hamstring injury severely limited him at the end of last season. The former MVP has also struggled to find his footing under new rules that have limited his ability to hunt fouls on jump shots. It all makes the windows through which he once maneuvered that much tighter, resulting in his least efficient season since his rookie year.

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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach

Nets wing Joe Harris is expected to miss 4-8 weeks following ankle surgery. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Nets wing Joe Harris is expected to miss 4-8 weeks following ankle surgery. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) (Jonathan Bachman via Getty Images)