How does Doc Rivers get the most out of Tobias Harris?
We’ve all seen Doc Rivers’ influence on Tobias Harris throughout his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers and now this season with the Sixers.
So how exactly does Rivers get Harris to play up to his potential? I think you can draw many parallels to Doc’s Boston Celtics days with Paul Pierce. Pierce is, of course, one of the most hated rival players in Philly during the 2000s. But, the 10-time all-star was among the top players in the league for over a decade.
Both players share similar body sizes, 6’8″ and around 230 pounds, with very similar skillsets. A combo forward with an ability to drive to the basket, a good post-up game, and shooting from the midrange and the 3-point arch. Rivers has pushed Harris to make quick decisions once the ball gets in his hand, which seems to mimic Pierce’s playing style.
Harris is now in his 10th season in the NBA and is averaging a career-high 20.5 points per game. Harris is also on the verge of the prestigious 50/40/90 shooters club (50+% shooting from the floor, 40+% 3-point shooting, and 90+% free throw shooting), a club featuring only eight players in NBA history. The 28-year-old forward is shooting 52% from the floor, 40% from three, and 89.5% from the free-throw stripe.
In Pierce’s 10th season, Pierce averaged 19.6 points a game with a 46/39/84 shooting line for the 2008 NBA Champion Celtics team. Before the 2008 season, Pierce had seven straight seasons of averaging more than 21 points a game.
Harris may not be as much of a volume shooter or consistent scorer as Pierce, but he also isn’t the first option for the Sixers like Pierce was with Boston. In no way should we expect Harris to reach the heights of Paul Pierce, but Doc Rivers’ prior experience with Pierce may be the reason why he gets the most out of Harris.
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