Devin Harris: Jumping into the jumper

So is Devin Harris a jump shooter now? Let’s not get too carried away on preseason stats, but an offseason of working on his shot on and off the court appears to be paying off.

The fourth-year point guard finished the eight-game preseason shooting an even 50 percent from the floor. More impressive, though, is the 62.5-percent connection rate (5 of 8) beyond the arc.

Much of the film study done by Harris this summer focused on locating spots on the floor where his jumper dropped. He also dug up some tapes from his days at Wisconsin and noticed a flaw in his mechanics.

“I’m trying to focus on shooting on the way up,” Harris said. “A lot of my shots last year, why they were falling short most of the time [was because] I wasn’t using my legs a lot. I was shooting on the way down. Especially the 3s I’m shooting now, I’m making sure I’m getting it on the way up to give it a chance to go in.”

He also carries around a bit of advice from Jerry Stackhouse regarding his right (shooting) arm: “Rub my rib, keep that elbow in.”

Avery Johnson has his own theory on the new-and-improved jumper.

“It looks better because he’s more confident,” Johnson said. “His body language is better.”