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Tobias Harris, after a summer of team disarray, should have one of his best NBA seasons. As Media Day across the NBA opens the excitement for the 2021-22 NBA season, Tobias Harris will be one of the players asked about his current production, and how he will perform when the Philadelphia 76ers begin their Atlantic Division defense. Tobias Harris' role with the team has always been similar since he's been with the Philadelpha 76ers, yet after a season of team underachievement, one of the only ways for the Philadelphia 76ers to improve is if Tobias Harris steps up his role and definitely plays as an NBA All-Star.
Is Tobias Harris an NBA star?
The 29 year old forward, in his 11th NBA season, should be on the NBA All-Star teams and a member of the All-NBA teams consistently. Tobias Harris has made it known he is an NBA All-Star. Is he not because of his personality? Does he do enough? Is he perceived differently for playing on five teams? Tobias Harris scored 19.5 points a game last season and 16.5 for his career, so what else can he do to help push the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs after finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference? He's a decent rebounder at six a game, yet dishes it at three per clip. Tobias Harris in the playoffs was similar to his regular season numbers, and outside of the 25 points and 10 rebounds he put up vs. the Washington Wizards in the first round, he has yet to average more than 20 points in the playoffs at any instance in his career.
Dealing with Philadelphia 76ers fans
Tobias Harris is in a position in Philadelphia that is both a gift and a curse. Fans expect him to put up 25 points a night, and while he's closer to 20 per, he's steady in his nightly performance. He's hit game winners, so it's not about aggression persay, but more about being a consistently viable second scoring option to Joel Embiid. Fans began to excoriate Tobias Harris after an abysmal performance vs. the Atlanta Hawks in a Game 5 loss where he shot just 2-11 for four points (bounced back with 24 points in Game 6) in such a pivotal game. Ironically, Ben Simmons had eight in Game 5, so Tobias understands he needs to get better. He just stays out of controversy as much as he can until he's asked. When asked at Media Day about Ben Simmons, who has been allegedly been critical of Philadelphia 76ers fans, Tobias Harris responded:
"If you asked me, the fans, do I think that affects Ben, or has led up to where we're at now? Like, 100%. But every person is different. Some people enjoy fans being that aggressive, or have that much energy, and some don't."
Is Tobias Harris' salary an issue?
Tobias Harris signed five-yr $180M contract on July 10, 2019. This is a major point of contention for Philadelphia 76ers fans. Tobias Harris is owed 36 million this season, 38 million in 2022-23 and in the last year of his deal, almost 41 million. Though Tobias Harris should get every penny thrown his way, Philadelphia fans will easily see Tobias Harris as one of the scapegoats for the Sixers, failing to ascend past the second round of the NBA playoffs. They look to Game 5 as why Tobias contract is not a good contract for Philadelphia. Many fans see signing Tobias Harris to such a deal as an overcompensation for losing Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat. Public relations aside, are the fans right?
Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers, who coached Tobias Harris for 87 games with the Los Angeles Clippers and got the best out of him, has stressed for Tobias Harris to make quick decisions on offense; that Tobias needs to get to his spots faster, be more efficient, and even went as far as compare Tobias Harris to New York Knicks legend Benard King (both went to Tennessee). Rivers sees a lot of King in Tobias Harris, and has always been a Tobias Harris whisperer of sorts. Tobias Harris was just off 50/40/90 last season (51/39/89). He obviously seems more comfortable a player under Rivers, yet will Tobias Harris ever be the reliable second option the Philadelphia 76ers need right now? This season will be telling.
So, what's his role?
As the Philadelphia 76ers collectively seek to convince Ben Simmons to return to the team, if Simmons does not, Tobias Harris must step up in the void. He's not the ball handler Ben Simmons is, yet can bring the ball up and get settled into sets. Regardless of if Ben Simmons is in Philadelphia at any time during the NBA season, teams will not care about what is going on with the 76ers internally.
It's important that Tobias Harris responds to this team adversity so the Philadelphia 76ers do not fall back in the Eastern Conference. Many have the Sixers finishing seventh out of eight playoff teams, and while that isn't a flattering prediction, what it does is incentivize every player in earshot of such dismissive words. Tobias Harris is the key to the Philadelphia 76ers this season whether he realizes it or not, and per usual, it's up to Doc Rivers to get the best out of the 6'7" swingman. It's time to put up or shut up Tobias Harris, and many see you as doing exactly that.
