Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris has found his blueprint for success

Two months ago, Tobias Harris was undoubtedly a part of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ Big 3.

Initially acquired to fill in the gaps on a roster looking for more frontcourt shooting, the Sixers committed to Harris in a big way during the summer of 2019, giving him what was at the time the biggest contract in franchise history. Lauded for his ability to complement Ben Simmons as a combo forward tweener, Harris served as the team’s second option on offense and was able to take on the lesser forward matchup more often than not on defense. While he never quite reached the 3 point shooting prowess of his time in LA, his game expanded out to that of a do-it-all offensive scorer capable of taking on a bigger role in the halfcourt than some initially expected upon his initial acquisition.

Fast forward to the 2021-22 season, and Harris again started out the season as one of the team’s top options, playing alongside Joel Embiid, Seth Curry, and Danny Green but with Tyrese Maxey now running the point. He had the second-highest usage rate of any player on the team behind only Embiid and was a routine 20 points per game guy night after night after night. Sure, Maxey was nipping at his heels and probably should have been given more run as the team’s second option, but whether tasked with running the second unit or playing alongside the starters, Harris was unquestionably a favorite of Doc Rivers and was treated as such in the design of the offense.

But then James Harden came to town, and suddenly everything changed.

Harris’ usage rate dropped all the way down to 17.9, the lowest mark of his time in Philly, his touches per game dropped from 69.1 to 51.6, and most crucially of all, his points per game went from 18.7 to 14.4, a mark that ranked fourth on the team behind Embiid, Harden, and Maxey, who has unquestionably usurped him as the team’s third-best player.

Has this transition been tough for Tobias Harris to handle? Surely so, but in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Saturday afternoon bout against the Charlotte Hornets, Harris turned in one of his best performances of the season not because he took on a more expansive offensive role, but because he kept it simple, picked his spots, and took a ton of 3 pointers.

The Philadelphia 76ers need to encourage Tobias Harris to shoot his shot (the 3).

In the first half of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 144-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Tobias Harris took seven 3s.

That’s… a lot. Just for context, Harris has only taken seven or more 3s in a game 16 times over his 747 game NBA career, let alone in the span of two quarters. While Harris didn’t connect on all of his attempts – he only went 4-7 – his willingness to let the ball fly moments after it touched his hands was a sight to see and signaled a newfound willingness to let the ball fly without having to process the play or try to do more than the play asked.

I mean, goodness, when Harris took a 28-footer four seconds after Joel Embiid hauled in a defensive rebound at the 4:26 mark in the second, you knew Tobi was feeling himself. Even if the shot didn’t drop, his willingness to let it fly with 20 seconds left on the clock is something you don’t see every day and signified the sort of afternoon the Sixers found themselves having.

Now granted, Harris only took two more 3s over the final 24 minutes of the game, 13 of which he was on the court for, but when you consider that the Sixers relied heavily on their bench in the fourth quarter after throwing up 45 points in the third, that’s not particularly concerning. In 32 minutes of action, Harris scored 23 points on 5-9 shooting from beyond the arc, making the second-most threes he’s attempted in his career, and only his 16th game with five or more made 3s. He looked patient in the corners, picked his spots to drive into the paint, and even put in work in the post while Embiid sat on the bench – if Doc Rivers can use this game as a template, the Sixers may have just added a new wrinkle to their offense.

Fortunately or not, Tobias Harris is no longer one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ three-best players. He doesn’t get plays called for him nearly as often as he did in the pre-James Harden era, gets groans when he wastes shot clock with no clear plan, and has to watch as Tyrese Maxey takes on the sort of role he once occupied. With that being said, Harris wasn’t initially acquired to be a star. No, he was acquired to be a super role player, and right now, on a team as top-loaded as the 2021-22 Sixers, that’s the exact player Doc Rivers’ squad could desperately use. If Harris is willing to stand in the corner and throw up 3s even if they aren’t landing, the Sixers’ floor spacing could benefit exponentially.