Who is the Philadelphia 76ers‘ best shooter?
A week ago, the answer was obvious: Seth Curry. All-time, Steph’s brother ranks fourth in career 3 point shooting percentage, and even now, in a by his standards “down year,” Curry is hitting 40 percent of his 5.6 attempts per game.
But now? With Curry a member of the Brooklyn Nets? The answer becomes a little less clear.
Using this season’s numbers, the Sixers’ best shooters are Tyrese Maxey and Georges Niang, who are hitting 39.9 and 39.5 percent of their shots from deep, respectively. Yes, James Harden ranks fourth in NBA history in 3s made, which is insane considering he’s only 32, but he’s always made his money off of volume, not efficiency, and is currently only hitting 33.2 percent of his seven attempts per game. And come on, if Harden needs to be surrounded by floor spacers, not utilized as a catch-and-shoot specialist, while I’m sure “The Beard” will benefit from a few easy opportunities generated from Joel Embiid double teams in the painted area, his best utilization is as a high usage player who facilitates offense for himself and his teammates.
Needless to say, if a 40 percent shooter wiggles free in the buyout market, the Philadelphia 76ers need to offer up the remaining balance of their mid-level exception to bring said player to town. But even if that does ultimately come to pass, Doc Rivers would be wise to take his playbook and rework all of Seth Curry’s plays for Tobias Harris, as a role change for Philly’s other max contract player might be just what the Doctor Daryl Morey ordered to elevate the offense to previously unseen heights.
Tobias Harris should fill Seth Curry’s shoes for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tobias Harris is a good 3 point shooter.
Since 2018, Harris has hit 38.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, including 42.6 percent of his attempts with the Los Angeles Clippers, and while his efficiency hasn’t been quite as prolific in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, hitting shots at a 36.5 percent clip, he’s still made 38.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts over the past three seasons.
When Harris plants his feet, catches the ball, and attempts an open look, especially off of a primo dime from a prescient passer, he can make opposing teams pay to the tune of three easy points, but in 2021-22, those opportunities have become fewer and farther between.
Call in an unfortunate byproduct of Ben Simmons‘ absence, but Harris has taken it upon himself to become the Sixers’ second offensive option and has generated a bit of a reputation for passing up relatively easy 3s for far more contested midrange shots. Harris loves to drive into opposing defenders with his back to the basket, and yet, regardless of how much time comes off the clock or who is tasked with defending him, the 6-foot-8 forward rarely puts down his shoulder to embrace contact on the way to the basket, and instead routinely flips it outside the arc, where Joel Embiid usually has to drive in for a tough shot right against the wire.
Early on, before Tyrese Maxey fully came into his own as a premier offensive weapon, this was acceptable. Sure, it wasn’t popular and drove more than a few fans mad, but hey, when a team’s entire offensive identity gets thrown out of wack in by an unprecedented holdout, you take what you can get.
But now? With Maxey fully into his own as an on-ball scorer and James Harden set to take on a massive and, I mean massive role in the offense, it would probably be wise for Harris to leave the ISO scoring plays in the rearview.
To get the most out of the Sixers’ expected starting five of Maxey, Harden, Matisse Thybulle, Harris, and Embiid, the pride of Tennessee has to reevaluate his responsibilities and embrace the role as Philly’s new shooter du jour.
Remember all of those plays where Seth Curry would take a dribble handoff from Embiid and hit a 3? That play needs to be called for Harris. How about the off-ball motions screens where Curry would free himself up a la J.J. Redick before him? Harris can do that too, with the added size to shoot over smaller guards in switching situations. Heck, I wouldn’t even mind seeing Harris pass up a 3, take a few steps forward, and attempt a 20-foot shoot jump shot, a play that might just be called “The Seth” from here on out.
Unless the Sixers can secure another shooter who better replicates Curry’s game, or they really believe in Isaiah Joe’s ability to take on a more expansive role, Harris has to be looked at as more of a marksman than a do-it-all offensive weapon capable of getting a bucket from anywhere, as his ability to space the floor for Harden, Embiid, and even Maxey will be vital in keeping the Sixers’ offense potent down their best shooter. If Harris can attempt 3s, play strong D, and set some screens for Embiid and Harden, he might just recapture the hearts of Philly fans the way he did one year ago, when folks were banging on the table something fierce for his addition to the All-Star game.
When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Tobias Harris three years ago, it wasn’t because of his ISO scoring. No, Elton Brand mortgaged the farm for the well-traveled combo forward because of his fit alongside Ben Simmons and his ability to hit 3 pointers at an incredibly high clip for a frontcourt player. With Simmons out, Harris attempted to expand out his game with a few new tricks, but with James Harden now an occupant of the City of Brotherly Love, it might be wise to take things back to basics and fill the same role Brand envisioned all of those years ago. Why? Because Harris has an opportunity to become the Sixers’ premier floor spacer in their starting lineup, he just needs to embrace the role down the stretch.