It was just last week that Tobias Harris was one of the most criticized players in the NBA for his rough start to the season.
Oh, how things can change in a hurry in the NBA. Still a small sample size, Tobias Harris has used his last three games to swiftly change the perception about his talent and fit on this 76ers team.
Over his last three games, Harris is averaging 23.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals per game.
Tobias has been able to do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor. Comparing those last three games to his first three, Harris is operating in a much different way.
He’s been spotting up for catch and shoot threes, making the right reads to find open teammates, and staying in front of players defensively to get his hands on the ball.
He’s been an exciting player to watch and has been a key piece to the 76ers fluid offense.
Tobias Harris is shooting 48.4% from 3 (5.2 attempts per game) to start the season which is great, but the important thing over the last 4 games has been his quicker trigger.
He's a much better shooter for the Sixers when he's firing without hesitating like this. pic.twitter.com/F4udHlZDDw
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) January 4, 2021
In this tweet from Tom West, you can see over the last few games how Tobias Harris is rising quickly and confidently with his jumpshot. This is true in not only the half court but also in transition. This is a dimension of his game that we’ve rarely seen over his 76ers tenure. It clearly increases the variety of threats the team has on the offensive side of the ball. That, in turn, forces the defense to make tough choices quickly. That kind of threat causes defensive breakdowns consistently and makes it much more difficult for a defense to cover anyone.
Entering this season, we all knew that Tobias Harris would be an X-factor on this team. His individual success within the team had a chance to bring this team to another level. Especially looking at the way he played previously under Doc Rivers, there was a lot of hope for Tobias going into this 2020-21 season. However, after the first three games, it didn’t seem that Tobias was playing much differently than in the previous season. Too much dribbling, indecisiveness, and bad shot selection proved to be hindering his offensive success early on. Suddenly, Harris looks like a completely different player, and we have to give him so much credit for being able to quickly change his mindset and fill his role in a much cleaner way than he previously had.
While Tobias Harris still has one of the worst contracts in the league, his improved play can change that focus. The contract is what it is at this point. If Tobias is a long-term fit on this team, seeing the development 6 games into the season is such a great sign for the Philadelphia 76ers. This play could also raise his trade value across the league. Daryl Morey may view the contract as something we need to give up regardless of how well Harris continues to play. If that’s the case, Tobias playing at a high level makes any trade quite easier.
The season is still in its early stages, but we’ve already seen tremendous growth on the offensive side of the ball. Tobias Harris has been quite the story within the success of the team’s offense.
It’ll be exciting to see if Tobias can keep up this level of play for the bulk of the season or if this is just a hot stretch.
If this keeps up for the Sixers, they will be a dangerous team in this league.
Featured Image: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
