Tobias Harris Reflects on Sixers’ Season Ahead of Free Agency

Tobias Harris and the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up another run on Thursday.

Apr 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) dribbles up / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Did Tobias Harris play his final game as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers? With no contract extension in play, the belief is that Harris is set to test the free agency market for the first time since he re-signed with the Sixers ahead of the 2019-2020 season.

Thursday’s Game 6 matchup against the New York Knicks could’ve served as Harris’ final game in a Sixers uniform, but the veteran forward wasn’t putting much thought into that.

“Not really thinking about that,” Harris said after the loss.

Coming off of his best game against the Knicks in the playoffs, Harris struggled in the Sixers’ final home game of the first round. After checking in for 29 minutes, the veteran attempted just two shots. Neither of them were successful. Harris wrapped up Game 6 with zero points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Overall, Harris averaged ten points while shooting 45 percent from the field and 33 percent from three in the series against New York. His numbers were down after he produced 17 points per game while shooting 35 percent from deep in 70 regular season games.

From a personal standpoint, Harris improved his production from the previous season. From a team standpoint, the Sixers didn’t get anywhere close to where they wanted to be.

“It was a tough year,” Harris said on Thursday. “Just because of the injuries that we had as a group. I think that we definitely showed we have the talent in this locker room and on this team. I wish we would’ve had more time to jell and to see it through and have everyone healthy, but it was an up and down year for us as a group.”

Since Harris joined the Sixers, they’ve consistently been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. This season, the Sixers struggled and landed in the NBA Play-In Tournament for the first time, and entered the playoffs as the seventh seed.

Facing the second-seeded Knicks, the Sixers put up a good fight throughout the series that spanned six games. Unfortunately, their opponent had more juice in the end.

“We were composed in this series,” Harris finished. “We definitely came out game after game and gave our all in this series. Just an unfortunate result.”

The Sixers have a lot of tough decisions to make this summer as they look to improve after their early exit. While Harris has entered the past five seasons as a member of the Sixers, he could have a change of scenery next year.

If Game 6 was indeed the veteran’s final matchup as a member of the Sixers, Harris would end his tenure by averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while knocking down 37 percent of his threes across 378 starts.