Is Tobias Harris Overlooked? Pistons Coach Weighs In

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey is the latest head coach to discuss the often-overlooked, Tobias Harris.

When the Indiana Pacers came to South Philly in October, head coach Rick Carlisle mentioned that Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Tobias Harris deserves more credit as an offensive scorer.

At the time, Harris was off to a quieter start to the year as the Sixers ran through Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. With the lineup constantly changing due to guys being in and out because of injury, Harris garnered more opportunities and took full advantage.

Harris is averaging 17 points this season, which ties his average through 73 games last year. However, the veteran’s three-point shooting average has jumped from 37 percent to 42 on more attempts per game.

With a slightly tweaked role, Harris has been far more efficient and dangerous offensively for the Sixers this year. While he still might get overlooked by some teams, Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey made it clear that his team was aware of what Harris brings to the table ahead of the Wednesday night matchup between the Sixers and the Pistons.

“Tobias is a big-time player people forget,” said Casey. “I don’t forget it. He’s a weapon, and they’ve got three big-time weapons.” 

Embiid, Harden, and Harris have been thriving as of late. Going into Wednesday’s game, the Sixers were on a five-game win streak. After a 113-93 win over Detroit, the Sixers picked up their sixth straight with a dominant showing over Detroit.

Harris checked into Wednesday’s game for only 21 minutes. During that time, he was efficient from the field again, draining six of his nine shots for 17 points. Harris proved the Pistons' head coach right as he was a factor in the big win. 

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