4 Central Division players who could surpass LeBron James
By Ryan Piers
4. Tobias Harris
We already know what Andre Drummond can do, and 27-year-old Reggie Jackson has probably reached his full potential. But how about Tobias Harris?
Harris raced out of the gate this season, averaging 20.5 points per game in October. He’s cooled off a bit, with his season average down to 17.8 points per game, a career-high.
Harris has always been a fairly prolific scorer, averaging more than 17 points per game three times in his career. But now he’s more consistent, with a career best .53.8 effective field goal percentage this year.
Behind the number is an improved outside shot. Harris is hitting 43.2 percent of his 3s this year — 5.7 percentage points higher than his previous career-best. Weirdly, he’s hitting only 46.2 percent of his 2-pointers, his worst total since 2012-13.
That number will likely shoot up around his career average of 50 percent in time. And when it does, expect Harris to average more than 20 points per game again.
He’s not a world beater right now, but the 26-year-old Tobias Harris is steadily improving. He’s always flown under the radar. And being the most prolific scorer on a defensive-minded squad means he’ll have plenty of opportunities to get better.