By the numbers: Reviewing Tobias Harris’ divisive 76ers stint

In the early morning hours of February 6, 2019, the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that was centered around Philadelphia receiving Tobias Harris.

Harris proceeded to play in 27 regular season games and 12 playoff games before re-signing with the 76ers on a long-term deal in the off-season. 

The 76ers then signed Tobias Harris to a significant 5-year, 180 million-dollar deal. 

Believe it or not, those five years have already lapsed, and Harris is now set to be a free agent next month. During that time, Harris and the team have yet to claim an Eastern Conference Finals berth and have lost three Game 7s in the semis dating back to the 2018-19 season, where the forward first joined the team. 

Let’s evaluate the 76ers career of Tobias Harris by breaking down some numbers. 

Tobias Harris (Regular Season)

2018-19 — 27 games (55 with Clippers) | 18.2 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 46.9 FG% | 32.6 3PT%

2019-20 — 72 games | 19.6 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 47.1 FG% | 36.7 3PT%

2020-21 — 62 games | 19.5 PPG | 6.8 RPG | 51.2 FG% | 39.4 3PT%

2021-22 — 73 games | 17.2 PPG | 6.8 RPG | 48.2 FG% | 36.7 3PT%

2022-23 — 74 games | 14.7 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 50.1 FG% | 38.9 3PT%

2023-24 — 70 games | 17.2 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 48.7 FG% | 35.3 3PT%

Total Averages:           18.0 PPG | 6.8 RPG | 48.9 FG% | 37.9 3PT%

Tobias Harris (Playoffs)

2018-19 — 12 games (15.5 PPG | 9.2 RPG | 42.5 FG% | 34.9 3PT%

2019-20 —  4 games | 15.8 PPG | 9.5 RPG | 38.3 FG% | 13.3 3PT%

2020-21 — 12 games | 21.8 PPG | 8.5 RPG | 48.8 FG% | 37.2 3PT%

2021-22 — 12 games | 16.9 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 50.0 FG% | 38.6 3PT%

2022-23 — 11 games | 15.3 PPG | 7.3 RPG | 52.2 FG% | 36.6 3PT%

2023-24 —  6 games | 9.0 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 43.1 FG% | 33.3 3PT%

Total Averages:         16.4 PPG | 8.1 RPG | 47.1 FG% | 35.0 3PT%

How did Tobias Harris fare with the 76ers?

One criticism is rooted in his inconsistent performance on the court. As we have a look at the year-by-year numbers for Harris, his output has been rather consistent throughout the regular season and playoffs (except the 2024 first-round series against the New York Knicks). This is why a year-by-year breakdown of Harris’ 76ers tenure bodes well for his career outputs. However, the critique that Harris has struggled to be consistent is most notably found on a game-by-game basis. 

Harris has had an ever-changing role with the 76ers. To name just a few, over the last five years, Harris has played with the likes of Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey in the starting lineup. There are countless other players that Harris has played with, forcing him to adjust his role with the team. Yet, as the numbers indicate, he continued to produce. 

The second criticism is found in that 5-year, 180 million dollar contract that Tobias Harris signed. The cards were stackedagainst Harris from the moment that he signed that contract. Tobias Harris has never been a max-contract-worthy player, yet the 76ers gave him max-contract money. Tobias Harris is not to blame for signing the deal that he was offered. Yet, every time Harris struggled, his inability to perform at a rate that was worthy of the contract that he signed seemed to be brought up. How is that fair? Tobias Harris was overpaid, and that’s not his fault. Tobias Harris (for the most part) performed at a level that was rather consistent with the career that he had before landing in Philadelphia, and remained rather consistent during his time in Philadelphia. 

The frustration that 76ers fans have taken out on Tobias Harris ultimately stems from the team’s lack of advancing further in the playoffs. Is Harris a reason to blame for the early playoff exits? Yes, but everyone who has been a part of these teams the last six seasons has had a role in the team’s early exits as well. Tobias Harris was never going to live up to a five-year, $180 million deal, we shouldn’t have expected him to.