With the 2025-26 NBA season already in its midway point, we now have more clarity as to how all teams are shaping up in the present campaign. For the Philadelphia 76ers, which are barely within the playoff picture in the East at sixth place (as of writing) with a 22-18 win-loss card, the consensus is that they have the talent to make some real noise in the playoffs, although their lack of consistency is their main issue.
The same, however, cannot be said for the Detroit Pistons, which are running away with the best record in the East with 30 wins against just 10 losses so far. They are clear-cut contenders for the championship, and anyone who says otherwise is outright lying. However, they are not perfect, and one of their big guns is showing some real signs of decline in recent weeks. As you might have already guessed, the player in question is Tobias Harris.
The former 76ers veteran has played — and started — in 25 games for the East-leading Pistons this season, and his production has been more or less similar to the previous campaign. However, he has slowed down by a considerable degree over the last few weeks, which could be a sign of things to come for Detroit.
Former 76ers veteran Tobias Harris is slowly declining for the Pistons
After an efficient start to the season, Harris has registered underwhelming numbers since December began. During that span, he has turned in nightly averages of 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 43.1 percent shooting from the field, which includes a measly 30.4 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc.
Harris’ minutes have also gone down to 24.9 a game since then, which is a sign that the Pistons are starting to recognize his declining level of play this season.
76ers fans must be very familiar with this pattern of play for Harris. During the 2021-22 and the 2022-23 seasons, Harris took a sharp decline in his numbers as the season went on, which was something that percolated into the playoffs and led to his maddeningly inconsistent play in April to the chagrin of many.
Fortunately for the Pistons (and unfortunately for the 76ers as a team behind them), they do have the necessary cushion behind Harris to handle his decline. Even better, he is on an expiring deal anyway, so they can just let him go in free agency if he fails to pick things up in the second half of the campaign.