Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris continues to thrive in new setting

The Philadelphia 76ers gambled assets when trading for Tobias Harris. The early results have been overwhelmingly positive.

At the trade deadline, Elton Brand went deep into his asset trove to acquire Tobias Harris. He gave up the Miami pick and Landry Shamet, arguably the Philadelphia 76ers‘ most valuable trade chips outside the core. So far, the gamble is paying off.

The Sixers have the best starting five in the Eastern Conference, bar none. That’s illustrated by their success in first quarters. Joel Embiid‘s return will only cement that fact, giving Brett Brown five high-level pieces to work with.

While Harris is probably the fourth-best player in the starting five, his importance might exceed that rank. His skill set naturally complements the other starters, whether it’s his perimeter shooting or his ball-handling ability.

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Harris gives the Sixers two of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters to start and finish games with. He also offers them another dynamic creator on the perimeter — one who, at 6-foot-8, can feed into their mismatch-hunting prowess.

The Sixers essentially replaced Wilson Chandler‘s monotonous average-ness with a borderline All-Star in the Western Conference. It has resulted in rapid improvement, with Harris’ adjustment proving much smoother than Jimmy Butler‘s was in November.

Those benefits have been on full display in recent games. Harris carried the Sixers to a pair of victories on their recent two-game road trip, scoring 29 points in New Orleans and 32 in Oklahoma City. Both were, at the time, career-high marks with the Sixers.

He filled the void left by Embiid on offense, giving the Sixers a jolt of shot-making that was previously lacking. The Sixers, as a result, were able to overcome awkward games from Butler and J.J. Redick.

Sets like these highlight Harris’ value on offense. In the two-man game with Redick, defenses are inclined to over-help on Redick, leaving the screener open. It doesn’t work as well when the screener is shooting 43.2 percent from deep.

He’s also effective in different actions with the Sixers’ other stars, whether it’s pick-and-roll with Simmons or pick-and-pop with Butler. Harris can succeed both as a screener and a ball-handler, boasting the pull-up shooting touch to punish ill-prepared defenders.

It also gives the Sixers two players — Harris and Butler — who can iso and create offense late in games. The Sixers’ lack of dynamic perimeter pieces killed them last postseason, especially against Boston. Harris is part of the solution.

In the Sixers’ win over OKC, Harris shot 5-for-7 on three-point attempts and went on two individual runs of 7+ points in the second half, both of which staved off Thunder comeback attempts. If it weren’t for Harris’ contributions, the Sixers easily drop two road games in Embiid’s absence.

Despite questions about the bench, it’s difficult to deny star power in the postseason. The Sixers have more than enough to contend for an Eastern Conference title. The Raptors and Bucks have earned the title of prohibitive favorites, but Harris puts Philadelphia firmly in the picture.