Philadelphia 76ers: 5 New Year’s resolutions for 2021

Sixers New Year’s resolution: Tobias, keep it up

After a rocky start to the season, Tobias Harris has found his stride over the past two games. He dropped 26 on Toronto, then dropped 20 on Orlando in a game that was over at halftime. Harris has found the proper balance of decisiveness and aggressiveness, without mucking up the offense through ill-fated dribble drives and seconds-late swing passes. If he keeps it up, the Sixers are in for a bountiful campaign.

Harris, for all the necessary criticism tied to his contract, can still positively impact a basketball game. He’s a skilled slasher and finisher when he wants to be, and his 3-point shot is a weapon the Sixers have never been able to take full advantage of. He’s shooting 45.8 percent from deep through five games, and while that number will inevitably come down, the hope is it won’t come down too far. In 55 games under Doc Rivers in 2018-19, Harris shot 43.4 percent from deep.

The Sixers need Harris to continue embracing his role as a complementary talent, rather than trying to be the go-to perimeter scorer Philadelphia at one point expected him to be. Harris cannot reliably create offense from scratch. What he can do is launch open 3s, attack closeouts, move the basketball, and run the occasional two-man action with Embiid.

If the Sixers continue to get sharp decisions from Harris, and he continues to set nets ablaze from 3-point range, the weight of his contract won’t sting quite as much. He will never live up to $36 million per year, but he can still look the part of a strong third wheel.