Sixers: The Tobias Harris conundrum

Tobias Harris is a fantastic person, a true warrior for equality, and a great veteran. However, he is the one that is holding the Sixers back going into this year’s playoffs.

When the Sixers traded for Harris, he was our third option behind Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid. After Butler left in the summer, Harris became our surefire No. 2 behind Embiid. Then the Hawks series happened, and our team got thrown into wack. Fast forward to the start of this season, and Tyrese Maxey burst onto the scene in an insane second-season leap. His new talent, paired with Harris’s shooting woes this season, moved Harris back into the third option in our option. And then James Harden became a Sixer.

When the Sixers signed Harris to a five-year $180 million deal, both parties expected him to be the Sixers’ second or third option and that he would perform as such. As of now, he is this team’s fourth option on offense, and he’s being hunted on the defensive side of the court. That begs the question, not if he’s worth his extremely lucrative contract (he’s not), but if he’s a positive addition to this Sixers roster. The answer to that question is simple. No. Some (myself included) would go as far as to say that Harris is not only dead weight, he’s also a hindrance to this team.

This team operates with a big three that’s easy to define in Embiid, Harden and Maxey. Everyone else has a role to play, and some play theirs well, like Niang, Green, and Thybulle. Harris needs to learn that he’s no longer one of the centerpieces on this team and start playing his role.

The Sixers have failed to unearth the best version of Tobias Harris all season. How can that change?

So, what should Harris’ role be? Well, that’s simple to see. In that four position, we need someone unselfish, who can rebound, defend, cut to the rack, and hit 3s every so often. Harris only does the latter. This means that the organization is spending $37 million a season on someone who doesn’t want to fill the role that the team needs him to. And that piece is the one that’s going to kill the Sixers in the playoffs, whether that’s KD and Giannis going at him on D or his unwillingness to catch-and-shoot.

That’s the biggest issue with Harris and his fit with the team. His lack of ability to fill the role that the Sixers need him to with where the team stands. As I said above, for the team to be effective, they would need to be getting defense and rebounding from the power-forward position and some scoring. But the other end of the court is more valuable, especially with the addition of James Harden. When someone mentions Tobias Harris, most people think of a scoring forward who operates in the mid-range and beyond. And the statistics back that up. Of all of the power forwards in the NBA to play 2,000  minutes, Harris has one of the worst defensive ratings in the league at 111.4.

Along with that stat goes another, his rebounding. Since the All-Star break, Harris has been pulling down a meager 4.7 rebounds per game. That number dropped from before the break, at 7.3 per game. Some critics might chalk that dropoff up to James Harden’s appearance, but those who have watched any Sixers minutes since the break can see that the dropoff is due to a lack of effort on the boards from Harris. Let’s presume that he can get that number back to 5.0 rebounds per game. That would put him tied with Royce O’Neale in the 20th of all NBA power forwards if he did that. And of those 19 others above him, the only one making more money is Giannis Antetekoumpo.

So that begs the question, what do we do with Harris? If this blows up as all signs pointing to, what’s the move the Sixers can make? Well, the move would be to somehow trade him for a piece that can both rebound and defend. Someone like Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has improved dramatically since his move out of Los Angeles, proving himself to be a valuable player on any NBA roster. Here’s the trade.

Sixers Get

• Kyle Kuzma: $13.0 M for 2 years
• Terrence Ross: $11.5 M for 1 year

Magic Get

• Tobias Harris: $37.6 M for 2 years

Wizards Get

• Markelle Fultz: $16.5 M for 2 years
• Chuma Okeke: $3.4 M for 1 year

Obviously, picks would have to be sent around, and the Sixers might be forced to deal one of their young prospects like Jaden Springer or Paul Reed. But that’s the idea. Send Harris away and in return get someone that can help the Sixers maximize this Embiid-Harden window. Because Harris does not.