Philadelphia 76ers: Is Tobias Harris good enough to form a Big 3?

By Alexandro Fidanza | Aug 9, 2019

Tobias Harris | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Tobias Harris will step into an expanded role for the Philadelphia 76ers next season.

In a time of great duos coming to the NBA, do the Philadelphia 76ers have the best Big 3? Despite not having any All-star appearances and being on five different teams in only eight years, Tobias Harris has always had the tools to become an All-Star and impact a team positively. Tobias Harris has all the offensive tools possible to score, he can score in the paint, around the perimeter and can shoot the 3. His defense is his weakest part of the game, but he’s still an average defender at best.

Harris’ numbers went down after joining the Sixers. Prior to joining the Sixers, his 3-point percentage was at 43.4 with the Clippers and it dropped to 32.6 in a Sixers uniform. Harris was used as a spot-up shooter most of the season with the Sixers.

Harris was under-utilized in Brett Brown’s system from the day he arrived. Harris has an arsenal of scoring tools, but nothing was ever ran for him. Jimmy Butler garnered all the focus in the clutch, with everyone else feeling left out. Butler was the Sixers’ closer and he did a good job. But with Butler and even J.J. Redick gone, there is an empty void of who is going to take that role. Harris is next in line to take those big shots and be the difference maker in the clutch.

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Brett Brown probably had the busiest offseason of any Sixer, with a whole new roster gathered. Finding an important role for Harris is instrumental to the team’s success, especially with Redick gone. Harris is the next best shooter.

We have seen Brett Brown run plays for Redick in the past, the dribble handoff with Embiid which becoming a staple of the Sixers’ offense. A new offensive scheme must be implemented to replace the dribble handoff.

Last season the Sixers ran the fewest pick-and-rolls in the league alongside the Warriors. With the Sixers size, pick and roll will play a crucial role in the Sixers success this season. And for a guy like Harris, this is a play that can greatly benefit him. It will be interesting to see how Harris will be used with Redick and Butler gone.

In Philadelphia, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are the main duo. If Harris plays close to, or even better than he did during his time at the Clippers last year, then there is no doubt that Philadelphia can have the league’s best Big 3, with the next closest probably being Klay Thompson, StephenCurry and D’Angelo Russell in Golden State.

The Sixers don’t only have a possible Big 3, but they also have five-time All-Star Al Horford and the still young up-and-coming Josh Richardson, who has improved every year since entering the league.

We know what to expect from Embiid, and with Simmons hopefully he will have a jumper during the season, but don’t expect his game to change that drastically even with a jump shot — passing and going to the rim will still be his priority.

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If Harris can be an even better player from last year with a more important role he can complete the Big 3. And with no Miami Heat Big 3 or the Warriors’ death lineup in the way, the light has never been greener for the Sixers to bring back a championship to Philadelphia.