Philadelphia 76ers: James Harden has some tough love for Tobias Harris

With Ben Simmons gone, Tobias Harris is now officially the Philadelphia 76ers‘ most polarizing player.

To some, the 10th year veteran is a dynamic, do-it-all scorer who can drop 20 with ease and is an asset on the boards. Sure, his efficiency waxes and wanes, but Harris is a classic example of an NBA glue guy who brings positive vibes and keeps the players connected during the thralls of the regular season.

And to others? Well, Harris is an analytics nightmare who makes life harder for the players around him and maddeningly passes up wide-open looks in favor of contested 2s or a half dozen seconds off of the shot clock.

Where does the reality fall? Well, since the arrival of “The Beard,” the chatter from the second camp has rightfully drowned out the former camp, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the only possible outcome is an asset-sweetened trade this offseason. No, after two games on the court together for the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden sees where Tobias Harris’ issues lie and commented on how to fix them during his post-game comments after his first triple-double in a red, white, and blue uniform.

The Philadelphia 76ers need to get Tobias Harris on their new wavelength.

Once upon a time – see one month ago – Tobias Harris had a pretty long leash to do as he pleased on the offensive end of the court.

Call it a logical role elevation with Ben Simmons gone or a byproduct of Doc Rivers’ reluctance to fully embrace Tyrese Maxey as a Top-3 star, but for the better part of 60 games, Harris was allowed to dribble, drive, pass, and pump fake without having to set many screens or perch on the wings waiting for an open look.

Did it work? I guess that depends on how you define “work.” If, for example, you consider averaging 18.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game “work,” then sure, Harris was the Sixers’ second-leading scorer on the season before the All-Star break. But if you instead consider efficiency from the field, the 3 point line, or the stripe, then it’s a whole lot harder to throw flowers Harris’ way, as he’s in the middle of his least efficient season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers based on effective field goal percentage.

Harris only generates an average of one assist per game as a screener and is a far more effective pick-and-roll scorer, falling in the 92nd percentile on 3.4 attempts per game, than as a roll man, where he falls in the 4th percentile on .6 screens set per game. To make matters worse, of Harris’ 3 point attempts per game, which is a shockingly small 3.5, only 2.7 are of the catch-and-shoot variety, which accounts for a maddening 18.8 percent of his total attempts from the field per game.

Sidebar: Just for context, Danny Green leads the team in the percentage of his shots coming from no dribble 3s at 71.9, with Georges Niang falling closely behind at 67.1.

Can a team win with Harris’ playing style? Sure, if a team doesn’t have a pair of All-Universe ISO specialists in James Harden and Joel Embiid, having the pride of the University of Tennessee could be an asset. But for Harris to get back on track and average more than nine points per game, he has to accept a more streamlined, team-first role.

Fortunately, Harden sees Harris’ issues as correctable and pointed them out in his post-game presser after defeating the New York Knicks in a Sunday matinee. Here is the quote as dictated by KY Carlin of Sixers Wire.

"“There were opportunities where Tobias had four or five catch-and-shoot opportunities that he passed up and try to dribble past somebody. That’s the thing that I’m gonna stay in his ear about is he got those opportunities. I don’t care if you miss 20 of them, those are shots we need you to take because more times than not, you’re gonna make those shots.”"

Goodness, has Harden secretly had a Bryan Colangelo-style Sixers-themed burner all along? I’ve definitely seen this exact argument made about a dozen times on Twitter.

Obviously, Harden’s assessment is dead on. When his Rockets were really good for much of last decade, they routinely ranked first in 3 pointers attempted per game, even if they didn’t always have an elite shooter on their roster or efficiency on the shot.

If Harris, Green, Niang, and even Matisse Thybulle jack up shots when they are open, teams will have to at least think about committing less energy to doubling Embiid and Harden when they are on the court together. I mean, the duo will still surely draw a ton of extra attention, as they each rank in the top-10 in double-teams per game, but as a general rule, the more often shooters get wide-open looks from beyond the arc, the more coaches will adjust their coverage accordingly.

If that happens, and Harris accepts the role of a super-sized sharpshooter, Harden will surely return the favor with some choice dimes, as Thybulle’s skyrocketing offensive production surely proves.

Could it ultimately be determined that Tobias Harris just isn’t a fit with the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward? Sure, he’s already been replaced in the team’s Big 3 by Tyrese Maxey both on the court and in the hearts of fans, and Daryl Morey’s front office may deem that his stylistic preferences overlap just a bit too much with James Harden and Joel Embiid. But for now, Harris can very much still make an impact with his current team if deployed correctly, as he can shoot, make plays and maybe even develop a two-man pick-and-roll attack as the screener, not the ball handler. Is that an overly ambitious evaluation? Potentially so, but considering how well the Sixers are playing right now, why not be hopeful?