Philadelphia 76ers: Why are people surprised by Tobias Harris’ shine?
Is anyone surprised the Philadelphia 76ers’ PF was the Player of the Week?
Boy, oh boy, oh boy, what a difference a week can make for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Not one week ago today, two games into the 2020-21 NBA season, Tobias Harris was a broken player. He was averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game on a putrid 22 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and fans were quite literally willing to ship him out of town for any max player who could knock down a jumper.
Some shipped Harris to the Cavs for Kevin Love, while others hope to trick the Rockets that he was the missing piece to their playoff run in a way-out-of-the-realm-of-possibility James Harden trade. I touched on the topic a little bit here – suggesting that Harris’ contract makes his best value as a member of the 76ers – but received a bit of pushback from some who believed the 28-year-old was a lost cause not worthy of another game.
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Heck, some openly suggested he should be outright benched for Furkan Korkmaz or Matisse Thybulle – neither of whom play power forward, but hey, I digress.
But now, four days into 2021, something tells me those detractors have changed their tunes.
Over the next four games, Harris went off like the max player he was signed to be – averaging 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.25 steals, and 1.5 blocks in one of the best four-game stretch of his career. Harris also knocked down a remarkable 59 percent of his 22 3 point attempts, including a pair of games with four made 3s against the Cavs and the Hornets.
And the best part of all? Harris’ numbers were far from empty stats.
No, in a true stroke of basketball serendipity, Harris has seemingly hit his stride in his second stint under Doc Rivers, playing aggressively at times while also easing back into a spot-up shooter role when appropriate. While he still lacks the killer instinct that made his former front court-mate Jimmy Butler an instant fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love, Harris’ ability to perform like a borderline All-Star without stepping on Joel Embiid‘s toes is exactly what Elton Brand hoped for when he trades away a small fortune for his services at the 2019 NBA trade deadline, and then doubled-down on with the richest contract in Philadelphia 76ers history.
Still not convinced? Well, do you believe the fine folks over at the National Basketball League? Because they just named Harris the Eastern Conference Player of the Week alongside Seth Curry‘s older brother.
Earned it. #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/HIbbS9W0ca
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 4, 2021
Sidebar: While many a Philly fan was watching the Eagles fight their own intentions in a Week 17 tank-a-palooza, Steph Curry dropped 62(!!!) points on the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s… wow.
Now granted, could Harris slide into a slump yet again and have the ‘Tobias-traders’ come out of the woodwork once more? Oh yeah, most definitely. While Harris has proven himself a pretty consistent 19 points per game scorer under Rivers’ watch, he does have streaky tendencies that maddeningly bog down his numbers each season. But that just comes with the territory. If Harris can keep up this newfound attitude, swag, and confidence even when his 3 point shot isn’t falling, it’ll go a long way to keeping the Sixers in the hunt for a stop atop the Eastern Conference.
The people at Chick-fil-a are going to get buddy buddy with Tyrese Maxey in a hurry, as Tobias Harris will be eating like a king moving forward.
Next. Seth Curry is embracing the ‘South Philly flow’. dark
Ultimately, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t need Tobias Harris to be the best player on the basketball court every game to be successful. They don’t need him to drop 62 points, be Jimmy Butler, or even win the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors with regularity. No, all they really need from number 12 is what they’ve gotten over the past week. If that’s his ceiling, then the Sixers will remain one of the best teams in the NBA for the final four years of his five-year, $180 million contract. That’s enough.