Sixers' Doc Rivers is Working on Getting 'Quick Decision' Tobias Harris Back

Doc Rivers wants to see "Quick Decision" Tobias Harris on the floor for the Sixers.

The Philadelphia 76ers gave up a lot for veteran forward Tobias Harris. Not only did they engage in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers two seasons ago to acquire Harris, but they also offered the 28-year-old a max contract last offseason.

Following his first full season with the Sixers, Harris' contract has been called one of the worst in the NBA. While Harris' 19 points-per-game made him one of the Sixers' most consistent scorers last season, his inability to fully get back to the way he produced when with the Clippers makes it hard to justify his salary.

Fortunately, Philly hired Doc Rivers, the man who got the best out of Tobias Harris, this offseason. When with the Clippers during the 2018-2019 NBA season, Harris notched career-high shooting numbers by averaging 20 points-per-game while shooting 49-percent from the field and 43-percent from three.

Since coming to the Sixers, Harris' averages in those three specific categories have dipped. When asked about his opinion on the matter, Rivers mentioned he believes Harris tried to do too much in the Sixers' offense over the last two seasons. This year, Rivers hopes to see Harris get back to thinking less when he has the ball, which should boost his production in his second full season with the 76ers.

"We just got to get him to make quicker decisions," Rivers said about Harris. "There's at times, you know, I thought the second half of the Indiana game was a lot better. Now he hesitates sometimes, he wants to get in what we call his bag of tricks, but I love Tobias going downhill and making quick decisions, quick shots, quick first step down the hill. That's what we got from him in L.A., and we'll get him back there. But you can tell he's been doing something different. And we have to get him going back to being quick decision Tobias."

This season, the Sixers plan to play a lot faster in Rivers' system compared to how they played in Brett Brown's offense last year. In Harris' opinion, the quicker pace should help him get back to not trying to do much with the ball and just playing the way he did when he was thriving with the Clippers.

"Overall, [I'm looking to] be quick with decisions," Harris said on Monday. "Shooting when I'm open, driving it, passing it. It's all about the pace, the flow, and finding a rhythm throughout a game and throughout the season."

Through two preseason games, Harris has shown glimpses of his L.A. form. During the first matchup with the Boston Celtics, the veteran forward got into a nice rhythm and scored 16 points in 26 minutes of action. Against the Indiana Pacers, Harris reverted back to dribbling and doing too much, which resulted in him going 3-for-7 from the field for just six points. He also contributed to three of the team's 26 turnovers.

Getting Harris back to optimal form is going to take time. As the veteran forward stated on Monday, the Sixers are still trying to feel each other out as a team in a new system with different personnel around them. It won't all click right away, but Rivers and Harris are confident in the Sixers' fast-paced offense.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_