No ordinary Joe

CLEVELAND (NBA) - There were plenty of talking points about the Cleveland Cavaliers before the start of the season.

USA point guard Kyrie Irving was returning to the NBA after his Most Valuable Player-award winning performance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and LeBron James was coming back to the Cavs after a successful spell with the Miami Heat.

Cleveland had selected the much ballyhooed Andrew Wiggins of Canada with the first pick in the NBA Draft, only to send him in a trade to Minnesota to acquire Kevin Love.

Irving, James and Love were dubbed the "Big Three" in the media.

The Eastern Conference outfit had also made the eye-opening appointment of David Blatt, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv and Russia national team boss, as their new coach.

Someone that hardly anyone was discussing was Joe Harris, the team’s second round pick out of the University of Virginia.

Harris was a standout player in the NCAA and helped the Cavaliers - yes, that is UVA’s mascot, too - win their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 1976.

The 1.98m shooting guard was the MVP of the ACC Tournament, yet few batted an eye when arrived in Cleveland.

All Harris has done is not only make the regular season roster but force his way into the rotation.

Anonymous to many before the campaign, even after his play in the ACC, Harris is showing that being outside of the hype was not a bad thing for his career. 

After playing a total of seven minutes in Cleveland’s first five games, when the Cavs went 2-5, he has averaged 21 minutes in the team’s last four games.

Harris' most famous contribution came in Friday’s 122-121 come-from-behind triumph over Boston, when he drilled a three-ball with 3:16 remaining to trim the Celtics’ advantage to just three points.

He also excelled on defense as the Cavs clinched victory.

Harris looks like he is going to play a lot.

"I believe in the kid," Blatt said. 

"It was not only the shot he made. He played the game right and he played for the team."

Harris also got a pat on the back from team leader James.

"He was huge," James said. "Joe Harris is going to be a big piece for our team."

In Saturday’s 127-94 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks, Harris impressed by hitting four of his six shots from the arc and scoring 12 points. Harris also handed our four assists, corralled four rebounds and came up with a steal.

Harris and the Cavs came back down to earth on Monday night when they had their three-game winning streak snapped by the struggling Denver Nuggets.

The rookie only hit one of his five three-pointers and his team fell, 106-97.

If Harris has more good games than bad, and continues to play well defensively, Blatt is going to call his number.

"I’m just trying to fill me role," he said. 

"I’m coming off the bench and I want to provide energy. I play as hard as I possibly can and get after it defensively regardless of who I’m guarding or what the scenario is.

"I’m trying to stay sharp mentally, not make any mental mistakes while I’m out there. 

"Offensively, I need to space out, create space for those guys and then knock down shots consistently when I get them."

Harris didn’t lose heart at the start of the season when he hardly played.

He kept working hard and paying attention and then took advantage of the opportunity when it arrived. 

"You have to be ready to go when you’re number is called," he said. 

"You’ve got to go out there and produce and do what they brought you in for. 

"I understand what my role is in this team. I don’t try to do too much."

FIBA