Philadelphia 76ers: Can Tobias Harris become the closer?

With a significant change in their roster this offseason, here’s a look at whether Tobias Harris can become the closer for the Philadelphia 76ers.

This offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers made it abundantly clear that they have enormous faith in Tobias Harris.

Despite having never made an All-Star appearance, the Sixers re-signed Harris to a five-year, $180 million contract at the commencement of free agency.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Considering the Sixers gave up two future first-round picks and emerging guard Landry Shamet to acquire Harris in the midst of last season, it’s understandable they would outlay a significant amount to retain his services.

However with the offseason departures of Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick, Harris’ responsibilities are bound to take a leap forward, particularly as it pertains to the closing time of games.

In his brief time thus far with the Sixers, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, Harris was the clear fourth option at the offensive end in clutch time, which in its broadest sense is defined as the final five minutes of game with the difference being five points or less.

In 27 games with the Sixers, Harris averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game. However with him earning an average of $36 million per season over the life of his new contract, Harris’ production at the end of games will certainly come under the microscope.

Over the course of last season, with the Sixers and the LA Clippers, Harris led the league with 174 total minutes in clutch time. However, he totaled just 77 points during this time, which ranked 35th overall.

For a further look at Harris’ performance in the clutch, here are some of the major scoring indictators from recent seasons:

Tobias Harris Clutch Numbers

2016-17

• Total minutes: 108 (ranked 77th in the league)
• Total points: 33 (104th)
• Usage rate: 14.1 percent (21.4 percent over the regular season)

2017-18:

• Total minutes: 128 (50th)
• Total points: 48 (80th)
• Usage rate: 17.5 percent with DET, 15.8 with LAC (22.7)

2018-19:

• Total minutes: 174 (1st)
• Total points: 77 (35th)
• Usage rate: 15.7 percent with LAC, 15.6 with PHI (22.5)

https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1125164824151887873?s=20

Last season, Harris ranked ninth overall on the Sixers’ roster alone with a 15.7 percent usage rate, well behind the now-departed Butler’s 28.1 percent. This was further accentuated in the postseason over the four games in which the Sixers played clutch minutes.

While Butler had a whopping 37.0 percent usage, marginally behind Joel Embiid at 38.1, Harris was well behind at 16.7 percent.

Following their Game 4 loss to the Toronto Raptors in their Eastern Conference semi-final battle, Sixers’ reporter Jon Johnson tweeted the following after Harris went scoreless in the final quarter, having shot 0-of-6 from the field, including 0-of-5 from three:

Unfortunately, this was the story for Harris in this series, as he wound up shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from long distance. Furthermore, he was a minus-33 for the series while on the floor, by far the worst return of the Sixers’ starting five.

Considering these numbers, it’s hard not to say that his $180 million was a risk.

But this isn’t to say that Harris isn’t capable of stepping up into the role as the Sixers’ closer. Prior to being traded to the team last season, Harris shot at a 58.6 percent clip from the field in the clutch in 29 clutch games for the Clippers.

However, as has been the case thus far as a Sixer, Harris took a backseat at the offensive end, in this case to Lou Williams. While Harris had a 15.7 percent usage rate prior to being traded, Williams’ 34.5 percent rate was miles ahead.

When asked how the Sixers would approach the 2019-20 season given the departures of Butler and Redick, Sixers’ general manager Elton Brand referred to Harris and Ben Simmons with the following:

"“We are making those bets on those perimeter players….I envision them stepping up, for sure, and rising to the occasion when it is crunch time, for sure.”"

So while the presence of Embiid down low is an undeniable fact, the fortunes of the Philadelphia 76ers will ultimately lie in the production of Tobias Harris and their surrounding threats on the perimeter.