Report: Sixers signing Shaquille Harrison to training camp deal

Sixers media day is about to begin and training camp is just a day away from starting on September 28. The NBA is well and truly picking up again now, and we have news of a small signing.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Sixers are signing guard Shaquille Harrison to a training camp deal.

The 27-year-old Harrison has bounced around quite a bit through the start of his NBA career. He started out in Phoenix in 2017-18 with a few 10-day contracts, then spent the next two seasons with the Bulls. He went on to spend the first two months of last season with the Jazz before being waived in late February. In April, Harrison joined the Nuggets on a two-way deal, averaging 16.3 minutes over 17 regular season games before playing occasional spot minutes in the playoffs.

Harrison has always been limited offensively. He doesn’t offer much ball handling and while we still have a fairly small sample of his three-point shooting in the NBA, it’s never taken off — he’s only averaged 2.4 attempts per 36 minutes for his career so far, making just 49 of his 173 total attempts (28.3 percent).

However, the intrigue with Harrison comes at the other end of the floor. He’s a genuinely quality defender, possessing the quickness and strength to switch across both guard spots and some wings. He has a high motor, competes well on the ball, and racks up steals in passing lanes and on the ball at a fairly impressive rate, averaging 2.3 steals per 36 minutes for his career.

It’s always hard for players joining NBA teams on training camp deals to make the roster. It’s unlikely Harrison makes the final cut with the Sixers as well, especially given the team’s primary need for more offensive creation from its guards (plus, Philly already has an elite perimeter defender who struggles as a shooter in Matisse Thybulle).

If Harrison impresses the coaching staff, though, he can turn this into an opportunity with the Blue Coats in the G League.