UNC Basketball: Scouting report of Tar Heel guard Anthony Harris

Perimeter Shooting

Anthony Harris’s bread and butter as a prospect is his outside shooting prowess. All things considered, it’s by far the most consistent part of his game, one that should translate to higher levels without questions. He simply has too many indicators on his side for him to somehow be a mediocre or below-average shooter at the college level.

Prior percentages are on his side. Shooting 43.8% from downtown (21-of-48) and 82.1% from the charity stripe (32-of-39) in 22 EYBL games is no fluke, and strong shooting outputs in that competitive setting shouldn’t be shrugged off (even with his low usage).

Examining his mechanics back up his shot legitimacy as well — his efficiency isn’t merely the result of good touch, but also refined, repeatable mechanics that do an effective job at reducing excess noise. The stroke is smooth, he shoots upward and not outward, there’s minimal guide-hand resistance, the elbow is tight and compact, and he doesn’t lack confidence.

He’s effective in the corners as a spot-up threat and has flashed some IQ as a relocator, too, but primarily finds his shots in set plays. It’s also yet to be seen whether he has any potential as an off-movement shooter (i.e., running off screens), but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of becoming one.

He has the touch and speed to possibly be molded into a versatile shooting threat, but it’s possible that his footwork and upper-body fluidity ultimately prevent him from hitting that outcome. Harris is at his best when he has the time to set his feet and the space to rise into his up-and-down jumper, but it’s unclear if he can fare without ideal balance.

Some of these concerns can be seen in his off-the-bounce attempts, where he struggles to step into his shots properly, hinting at unpolished footwork (which is also seen on some drives). Sometimes he’s knock-kneed, sometimes his legs are too narrow, and sometimes he’s generally just all over the place. His upper-body is also a bit rigid on pull-ups, which could be related to his subpar core strength (which is evident when looking at his issues finishing through contact, which we’ll get to later).

Regardless of the physical reason, he simply doesn’t have the pull-up jumper in his bag right now — and that’s OK. Harris looks to be a plus-shooter out of the gate for UNC and should be an effective off-the-bench weapon who can hit shots off hand-offs, flairs, and kickouts. The Carolina offense generates plenty of catch-and-shoot opportunities for its shooters, so he should be just fine.