Philadelphia 76ers: 5 standouts from Orlando scrimmages

2. Tobias Harris

It’s time once again to acknowledge the inherently lopsided coverage of Tobias Harris. He will never live up to a five-year, $180 million contract. He’s not that dude. And while it’s important to acknowledge the contract, it’s also important to acknowledge Harris’ value beyond the contract.

Harris is essential to the Sixers’ success, due as much to his on-court production as his off-court persona. As a basketball player, Harris can shimmy and shake his way to in-between buckets the Sixers desperately need. He can exploit mismatches in the post, he can run the occasional pick-and-roll, and he can hit tough contested jumpers when the offense stalls.

In the Dallas game, it was Harris who spearheaded the offense when no one could make a shot. The Sixers started the game 5-for-30 from the field, and yet Harris — with some help from Horford — handed the Sixers a lead in the third quarter. Because of Harris, Philadelphia was on top when the starters sat.

28 points and 11 rebounds on 10-for-20 shooting was Harris’ final stat line against Dallas. He bullied Dorian Finney-Smith at the rim, hit several timely shots from mid-range, and buried a trio of 3s to help round out a productive night. He has done everything you want out of Harris in these scrimmages.

And, on top of his production on the floor, Harris has emerged as the soul and conscience of the Sixers roster. He’s leading the conversation around social justice, he’s leading pre-game huddles, and it’s abundantly clear that he’s the leading force keeping the locker room together.

Harris deserves a ton of credit for the job he has done in Philadelphia this season. Maybe the contract isn’t as bad as we all thought.