76ers vs. Raptors: Tobias Harris Discusses Consistency

Tobias Harris talks about his consistency as a shooter this year after Monday's win over the Raptors.
76ers vs. Raptors: Tobias Harris Discusses Consistency
76ers vs. Raptors: Tobias Harris Discusses Consistency /

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers wanted Tobias Harris to find consistency as a catch-and-shoot scorer on the offensive end going into the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Back when Harris was with the Los Angeles Clippers playing under Rivers, he knocked down over 40 percent of his threes over the course of two seasons. 

With the Sixers, Harris has averaged 37 percent from three over the last three seasons. This year, that number is up. Not only is Harris hitting on 42 percent of his threes, but he’s doing it at a higher volume, averaging nearly six threes per game. 

On Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, Harris once again put his sharpshooting on display. Although he took just nine shots from the field, fewer attempts than Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton, and James Harden, Harris was by far the most efficient on his team.

By draining seven of his nine shots, with five makes coming from deep, Harris put up 21 points in 42 minutes. After the game, Harris acknowledged just how consistent he’s been as of late.

“That’s just the mentality and the work that I’ve put in on all the off days and during the season and watching film and seeing very little details of how passes are coming in the flow of the game,” said the veteran. “ The amount of time from one three to the next three, like all of these types of things, go into preparation for the game, and to be able to make those shots, the timing of them, it’s great stuff that I was fortunate to get on top of this summer and even last year.” 

Despite getting off to a slower scoring start this year, Harris’ efficiency from the field always shined bright for the Sixers. He might not be Philadelphia’s go-to shooter, as Joel Embiid, James Harden, and even Tyrese Maxey might get the looks first — Harris has proven to his teammates and his head coach that he’s reliable.

“He's playing right,” said Doc Rivers. “He's running the floor, I still think there are times when we can get it to him in transition more. I think he's so good in the open floor. He dedicated this summer to be a spot-up shooter making shots, and he's doing that. He's got a quick trigger. You can see he's worked on improving the quickness of his release. He's doing that. He's ready, and that's not easy. You know, going four, five minutes and not getting into ball swings, that's hard. That's really hard. He stays ready, so very happy with him.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA