Live Scouting: 4-star Juke Harris at the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest

Juke Harris went for 40 points and 14 rebounds on Friday night. A week earlier, the four-star guard had a 33-point outing. I was excited to drive over to Lewisville (NC) Forsyth Country Day School for the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest this weekend and get an updated look at the 2024 On3 150 No. 21 prospect.

Juke Harris is a 6-foot-6 guard at Salisbury (NC) High. He has taken two official visits, Houston and Tennessee, and has a third planned for Virginia Tech in January. Harris’s first D-I offer did not come until May of 2022; after a big summer with the Team Loaded Va program on the Adidas 3SSB 16u Circuit, he now claims over 20 offers.

I had Juke Harris with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in this one. Let’s dive into the 2024 four-star’s performance at the Tyler Lewis Hoopfest.

It starts with the jumper

Juke Harris has a basketball player’s frame. He has the long arms and the broad shoulders, and he is the tallest player on his Salisbury High team. His frame fits the archetype that you look for in a high major wing.

One look at his game, even in warm-ups, you notice the jump shot. Harris has a consistent release, with soft touch and deep range on the shot. There are times when he can over-rotate his balance, pointing his hips to the left of his target; this can leave the arc of his shot flat and have him off left to right at times. However, this is an easily correctable thing with reps.

The jump shot is what his game is predicated on. His team runs actions to get Harris open for one-on-one looks off the ball. This can create some issues as well, as Harris is his team’s best ball-handler. While some of the sets called are excellent sets, the personnel at times struggle to execute properly. When Harris is delivered a pass close to target and close to on time, he oftentimes buries the look.

Harris finished this game with three made threes. The first two of which he stepped into off the bounce. The first three, Harris grabbed the defensive board, brought the ball up the floor, and stepped into a three at the top of the key. The second three, the ball rotated to Harris on the wing; he took a couple of dribbles the knocked the shot down. The third three was off an offensive rebound; Harris dribbled out to the corner, pivoted toward the basket, and splashed it, nothing but net.

The rest of Harris’ offensive arsenal

Juke Harris has a solid handle. He is best in the open floor but is also confident within two and three dribbles from the wing. There is not a lot of pop or burst in his game, so he does not have the one move, get into the paint type of game. However, he is capable of getting to his spots in the half-court.

Harris has good positional size and length. Again, at 6-foot-6 with long arms, he is able to rise up in the half-court and create open space to knock down the shot. His hand-eye coordination and size create open looks for him that the burst may do for other players.

Harris is an adequate to an above-average athlete. While he will not rise over you to dunk in traffic, he is able to get his body squared with you to absorb contact for the and-one finish. In this game, Harris was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, with all of his attempts coming in the second half while his team was trying to come from behind.

At times, there is a question with Harris’ sense of urgency, but when his team needed him most, he was all in. This may be something to monitor moving forward; it might also have to do with having to do so much for his team.

Harris on defense

Juke Harris is a good team defender. He understands rotations and footwork; he is also good in the passing lanes with his length and natural anticipation. While he is not great at defending on an island, in space, Harris finished with three deflections and two steals in this one.

He does have quick hands, and, as I mentioned before, he anticipates well. Harris’ team did a good job switching defenses here; it appeared their base defense for this game was a zone. Harris is a good rebounder for his position. Again, he was the tallest guy on his high school team, so he was tasked with the majority of the board work.

In this game, the opposing team had a 6-foot-9 post as well as a couple of other players who were 6-foot-6 or more. Harris finished with 11 rebounds in this one. He used good positioning, high-pointed the ball, and was not afraid to stick his nose in the mix.