A Tale of Two Tobi’s
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Will the real Tobias Harris please stand up?
When the Sixers acquired Tobias Harris at the trade deadline, it was in hopes of adding a fourth star player to compliment the other three the Sixers already had in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler. To this point, Harris has been a great addition to this team and will hopefully be a Sixers for years to come, but he has been far from a vision of consistency.
Prior to the Sixers’ acquisition, Harris had been the face of a surprising Los Angeles Clippers team. He was averaging career highs in points (20.9), rebounds (7.9) and three point percentage (43%) on about five attempts per game. Harris was seen as one of the bigger All Star snubs in the West this year and had fully established himself as one of the leagues best marksmen.
The immediate returns on the trade were exactly as advertised. After joining the Sixers, Harris averaged about 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists on 42% shooting from three in the month of February. However, these averages would take a dip as the season wore on, most notably in terms of three point percentage. Harris would see his three point percentage drop to 30% on 4.5 attempts per game in March and then down to 18% on 4.4 shots per game in April.
As the postseason slowly came into picture, there were growing concerns over Harris’ game. With a potential max contract coming his way this Summer, fans began to doubt if Harris would really be worth the money. But solid production in the opening round of the playoffs has alleviated some potential concerns.
Through four games against the Brooklyn Nets, Harris is averaging 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists, which are all near his regular season averages. He’s also shooting 50% from three, but that’s a very misleading number because his performance in game three – 6-6 from beyond the arc – has ballooned his three point percentage. Remove game three and Harris is shooting just 20% from three in the series, which shows he hasn’t shaken his early April struggles just yet.
Despite his struggles from long range, Harris has still managed to fill his role as a secondary scoring option. He has managed to create good looks for himself and convert in the midrange – he’s shooting 60% on unassisted two point attempts – and is shooting 85% from the foul line on about five free throw attempts over the last three games.
While Harris has proven he can be a productive contributor with or without the three ball, this team is at its best when he’s hitting shots from the outside. The Sixers’ offense is built to run and gun, but when guys aren’t hitting their shots, they tend to flounder. Considering JJ Redick’s inconsistent postseason history and the lack of shooters the Sixers have outside of their top two options, the team’s postseason life could depend on Harris’ shot. If this team wants to go on a deep playoff run, they’re going to need the Tobias Harris they thought they were acquiring at the trade deadline.
