Jared Harper explains why he likes European basketball, picks his EuroLeague MVP / News - Basketnews.com
Jared Harper has quickly grown into a fan of basketball in Europe, as he explains in an interview with BasketNews. The former NBA guard addresses what it means to be an undersized player and names his pick for the EuroLeague MVP award.
Credit: Valencia Basket/Miguel Angel Polo Credit Valencia Basket/Miguel Angel PoloJared Harper is one of those cases of American imports that come to Europe and fall in love with the way the game is played in the Old Continent.
Jared Harper
MIN:17.9PTS:10.19 (51.45%)REB:0.76As:3.62ST:0.48BL:0TO:1.81GM:21ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023So much so that in their eyes, the NBA, a realm some of them know too well, lacks some things Europeans tend to take for granted.
"I really didn't expect to see everyone play every single possession so hard," the American guard tells BasketNews.
"I'm used to watching NBA games. They don't play hard on every single possession."
Harper adds that he's still watching NBA games because he likes basketball, but not in the same way he used to do before coming to Europe.
"I'd like to compare the two leagues once the whole season is over. In the NBA playoffs and the Conference Finals, everybody's locked in," he notes.
The 24-year-old Harper owns NBA experience with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and New Orleans Pelicans. He has career averages of 2.6 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists during 16 appearances.
Since the last September, he's been playing with Valencia Basket, who gave him a chance to play in Europe's top leagues. It took him less than two months to realize that the EuroLeague can remind an American player of college basketball and that every game matters more compared to the NBA.
As for the ACB, Harper has learned how hard it is to compete for a roster spot since Valencia coach Alex Mumbru often leaves him out of the 12-man squad due to restrictions on the number of foreign players.
But there's something else that speaks for the dynamic of the top continental competition. A look at this year's standings is enough to render it readily apparent.
"I feel like in the EuroLeague, a lot of the teams are close. Not many are much better than others," Harper points out.
Points this season
47%82,9Points made:82,9Accuracy:47,0%Place in standings:7Record max:100Record min:59Best scorer:Chris JonesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule"Your games against top teams are just as tough as the games against those sitting at the bottom of the standings. There are no off nights, and you got to bring your A-game every night, or you can get beaten."
Over his first 24 EuroLeague games, Harper has averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 assists, and 8.8 in PIR. His numbers would have been better had he been more consistent from one contest to another.
For instance, his two 20-point performances against ALBA Berlin and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv were followed by disappointing turns against Bayern Munich (4 points, 2 in PIR) and Panathinaikos in Athens (6 points and a career-low -3 in PIR).
However, in contrast to most former NBA players, there's one thing that Harper isn't prone to. According to widespread perception, those who have spent several years in the world's top league tend to start slow in EuroLeague games and pick it up down the stretch.
"I think that's true," Harper concurs. "Not personally for me, because I try to come in and affect the team as much as I can," he clarifies as if trying to defend himself.
"Overall, I think it's part of a learning curve. You come to a new league, and you have to learn some things. It's the same with people from Europe coming to the NBA. It's mostly about understanding that you have to compete at a high level in every single possession."
Where Harper is no different than other American players is in the things he singles out as the undisputed advantages of being able to live and work in Europe after spending the first 24 of his life in the States.
"The best thing is being able to travel to all those different countries I normally would never have been able to come to," he reflects.
"We have been able to do a little sightseeing in some countries, but the fact that I can say I've been to Milan and Athens is something I had never done growing up," he admits.
On the other hand, Harper can't think about the worst part of his presence on the other side of the ocean. With time, he has come to appreciate the EuroLeague more - that's the only certainty.
"It's a great basketball league. It's an even playfield for everybody. There are a lot of great teams. Going down to the playoff race is going to be close," he points out.
Valencia Basket would have been on a six-game winning streak had they won a close one vs. Maccabi at home, but it's pointless to complain when you're so close to reaching the playoffs.
The four-time EuroCup champions are a real powerhouse for the standards of the competition they used to dominate, but not in the EuroLeague, where their last playoff appearance dates back to 2011.
But now, standing at 13-11 and having beaten at least two Final Four-contending teams on the road (Olympiacos in Piraeus and Anadolu Efes in Istanbul), a place in the TOP 8 doesn't look like a far-fetched goal.
"A lot of teams are two or three games apart. You can slip a couple of games and be out of the playoff race, or you can win a couple and be in 4th or 5th place," Harper comments.
But what can possibly deprive Valencia of a playoff ticket?
"That will happen if we don't play our brand of basketball," the American guard replies.
"If we run the floor and play great offense and defense, we have chances to win every game. We play at one of the highest paces in EuroLeaugue, having more possessions on both sides of the court," he emphasizes with a tone of pride.
If Valencia is still in contention for the playoff and has seen their chances increase, Chris Jones is the man who probably deserves more credit than anyone else. Jones isn't a EuroLeague veteran by no means, but it seems he's getting better every year, especially after his rookie season with Maccabi in 2020-21.
Nevertheless, he's a player that needs the ball in his hands to be able to deliver. Still, he and Harper have managed to complement each other in the backcourt.
"He's a great player and a leader for us. He's shown consistency in scoring and passing the ball. He's doing everything," Harper praises his teammate.
14.8 points, 89.3% on free-throw shooting, 4.8 dimes for only 2.1 turnovers, plus 16.9 in PIR and less than 24 minutes. That's what Jones has been doing since the beginning of the season, but he's not alone.
"We talk all the time. He sees stuff on the floor and lets me know," Harper acknowledges.
And if Jones is an undersized guard at 1.88 m., what can be said of Harper, who's 10 centimeters shorter? The two seem to have benefitted a lot from many EuroLeague teams' trend to sign undersized American guards. Of course, size is a factor weighing differently in the NBA as opposed to Europe.
In a place where Shane Larkin, Facundo Campazzo, and Mike James are considered superstars, being the shortest guy on the court doesn't prevent you from having great success.
On the other hand, one need only remember how those players had some of their weaknesses exposed when they tried the NBA game.
"It comes down to teams just taking a chance on people," Harper generalizes before narrowing down his focus.
"I feel like a lot of European teams take chances on undersized American guards," he thinks. "We're doing a good job of showing people that we can perform at a high level and that size doesn't matter. Valencia has given me the opportunity to showcase my game."
Harper says he doesn't believe it's easier for undersized guards to play in Europe. According to what he has seen and experienced, it's actually harder when one has to deal with the spacing and people being allowed to stand in the paint for three seconds.
"You're not able to do that in the States," he observes. "It's also the physicality of the game. You're allowed to be a lot more physical here. In the States, you can't touch anyone."
Regardless of the physicality factor, for agile guards, a big body down in the post can be tougher to guard as opposed to a quick guard like Markus Howard or Mike James. Not for Jared Harper, though, who thinks smaller players can do more damage.
"If somebody's bigger, I might be able to use my speed and quickness against them to counter my disadvantages. But smaller guards, who're quick and can handle the ball, they're definitely tougher to guard for me," he admits.
Credit Stephen Lew-USA TODAY SportsThat last sentence has everything to do with Harper'spick for EuroLeague MVP. It could have been Chris Jones, especially after all he's been doing lately. But it's another baller.
"I'll say Mike James," he says without putting too much thought into it.
"That would be my pick right now. Of course, I've been watching from afar. But he's been playing at a high level pretty much all season. Even in the last 5-6 games, he's playing at an even higher level," he explains.
AS Monaco are still in the Top 4, while the 32-year-old scoring guard is among the league's Top 5 performers and scorers.
"I just like his game, honestly. He's been doing that for a long time. He's leading his team, and they're doing well. I can't remember exactly where they are in the standings right now. But he's doing a good job," Harper repeats.
Although Harper is inclined to choose ball-dominant players for MVP, just as much as Tyrese Rice or Malcolm Delaney would do, he does think the award is up for grabs for off-ball players too.
"There are some good cases for other people in the EuroLeague that are playing off-ball. I can't remember his name, but it's that guy from Olympiacos (Sasha Vezenkov).
He's been playing at a high level, and he had a great game the other day (vs. ALBA Berlin). They're doing great as a team as well. He's also an MVP candidate," he adds.
Harper likes the current form of European basketball so much that he doubts NBA practices like trading players could bring a different flair to it.
"I think it could work, but I like the structure of how it is now," he says.
"Being in a city for an extended period of time and being able to grow as a team. I've grown a lot individually as a player here, and our team has grown a lot over the course of the season."
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