Tobias Harris’ usage by the 76ers a disgrace under Doc

Tobias Harris has been under a lot of scrutiny by the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase for quite some time. For some, it was the max contract he was given alongside Ben Simmons when Jimmy Butler was traded to the Miami Heat. For others, it has been his performance or lack thereof at times. While some of it is on Harris himself, 76ers ex-head coach Doc Rivers could also be blamed for not getting Harris more involved in the offense. Nonetheless, Harris is the perfect type of player you want on a roster to win a Championship.

Tobias Harris’s misuse by Doc Rivers and the Sixers organization

Tobias Harris has been a real pro’s pro. Regardless of what is being asked of him, Harris has always been able to put the team’s needs first. Whether that means becoming the 3rd scoring option for some nights or having to guard one of the opposing player’s stars, Harris brings his hard hat and lunch pail to the arena and gets to work.

Per Statsmuse, since being traded to Philadelphia, Harris has been one of the most consistent performers over his 5 seasons here. Suiting up for the 76ers in 308 games, Harris averages 17.7 points per game with a 59% FG%. Harris also has a 37% 3PT% while averaging 4.2 3-point shots per game. Harris has also been reliable at the charity stripe with an 85% average.

With multiple changing lineups and personal changes, since Harris was traded to the Sixers, Harris has been a calming figure when someone has needed to step and help the team either stop the bleeding due to an opposing team’s run or if the team has entered into a slump. Harris has remained ready for when his number is called to make a big shot.

Per Basketball reference, during the playoffs, Harris has a similar stat line to his regular season metrics. In 51 playoff games, Harris has averaged 17.3 points per game with a 47% FG%. Harris also had a 3pt% of 35% while attempting 4.3 per game. On the defensive side of the ball, Harris averages 0.8 steals per game and 0.6 blocks per game.

Harris was moved back to the 3 in Rivers’ system with the addition of PJ Tucker in the offseason. With the move back to Small Forward, Harris had a tough time getting into the flow of the offense this season. While the ball should be flowing from James Harden to Joel Embiid for a majority of possessions, there was a lot of standing around during these half-court sets.

Over this last season at the 3, we saw Harris’s numbers dip. Harris’s player efficiency rating dropped over the last two seasons. In 2020-2021, Harris was above average with a rating of 20. It took a dip the following season to 15.9 and this past season to 14.8 which is still .2 under the league average. With 14.7 ppg, it was his lowest points per game average since 2015-2016.

The creativity to create space and to get shooters open and moving off the ball was extremely lackluster. The big issue for this #3 ranked offense for the season reared its ugly head for a majority of the playoffs. When you have a player like Tobias Harris who has the skill set and talent, there have to be some half-court sets drawn up for him.

Early in the season, Doc tried heavily to get Tyrese Maxey going early while he was struggling. Never once did we see Doc get Harris involved in games through the pick and roll or spot up from the corners. The team would become stagnant and easy to guard.