Magic's Harkless hoping defensive-minded Skiles creates new opportunity
The Orlando Magic saw less and less Harkless as time went on over the last three years. With Scott Skiles now installed behind the bench, it may be time for Moe Harkless.
That's what Moe is hoping, at least.
The 15th overall pick in 2012, Harkless played substantially as a rookie and a sophomore, but saw his role diminish greatly in his third season. With his 3-point shot all but a memory in 2014-15, he fell out of Jacque Vaughn's rotation and struggled to work his way back out under interim boss James Borrego.
It was a disappointing turn for a once-promising 3-and-D prospect, and it's a turn Harkless is hoping to reverse with the fresh start a new coach provides. Skiles has a reputation for trusting veterans over youngsters - Harkless just turned 22 - but also for valuing defense above all else. That's how the St. John's product thinks he can work his way back into relevance.
As Harkless told Basketball Insiders:
Also, he’s a defensive-minded head coach, which I think is perfect for me because I love playing defense and practicing hard. I love all that stuff so having him coming in with his mindset is a great opportunity for myself. It’s a new opportunity for me to earn some more playing time too. Last year, I feel I didn’t really play a lot so it’s an opportunity to earn some minutes back and just be able to play my game. I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to working with him.
Coming into the league, my goal was to be on an All-Defensive Team and that’s still one of my goals. With Scott Skiles coming in and his emphasis on defense, I definitely think he can teach me a lot and help develop me to be that guy.
All-Defense may be a lofty goal for a player who couldn't consistently crack a bad team's rotation, but there are signs that Harkless has the makings of a high-end defender.
He's posted a 2.4-percent steal rate and 2.1-percent block rate in his career - both strong marks for a wing. He also has the length and quickness - he measured with a 7-foot wingspan entering the league - of a typically effective defender, and he graded out well by ESPN's Defensive Real Plus-Minus statistic this season.
The key for Harkless may come down to doing enough offensively to warrant playing time. He shot 38.3 percent from long range as a sophomore but was held to 10 triples last year, and his career 3-point percentage is 30.9. He'll need to knock down shots reliably to keep a hold on a rotation spot on a team that's likely to be flush with defenders and low on shooters.