Philadelphia 76ers: Doc Rivers can rejuvenate Tobias Harris

The Philadelphia 76ers have hired head coach Doc Rivers with the hopes of bringing new life to the team. One player who may benefit a ton is Tobias Harris.

It goes without saying that the Philadelphia 76ers needed a change in culture. While the team has made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, the end results have not been up to snuff. Most recently, the 76ers got swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans and ownership alike.

As such, Elton Brand, along with the ownership group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, went ahead and fired Brett Brown and soon after brought in Doc Rivers to replace him. With Rivers comes a well-respected former NBA champion, who knows how to get the most out of his players. One such guy who benefited from Rivers’ coaching has been Tobias Harris.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

When Harris was on the LA Clippers, Rivers made him a primary focal point of the offense. In fact, Harris had his best season under Doc. During the 2018-2019 NBA season, Harris posted a career-high 20.9 points per game in 55 games as a Clipper on an outstanding 43.4 percent from beyond the arc. He also touted a career-high 7.9 rebounds per game and proved that he could be the focal point of a team in the right situation.

On the flip side, since Harris has been in Philadelphia, things have not gone as swimmingly. While Harris still puts up solid numbers, his three-point shooting has been about average at 34.0 percent since joining the 76ers. It has been a rocky start, to say the least.

Considering the fact that Philly extended Tobias Harris to the tune of $180 million over five years, it’s not likely that the team would be able to move him. With a deal like that, the production needs to come through. In his defense, Harris has been serviceable and consistent. But, at this clip, the Sixers need to yield a greater return on their investment.

One of the main issues, at least this season, has simply been the offensive scheming. In particular, the lack of spacing generated with the current starting five of Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid. Considering the fact that Harris was the best shooter in the starting lineup at 36.7 percent from three, things need to change.

It’s obvious that Brand must do a lot in terms of reconstructing certain parts of the roster. While this team is not perfect, Rivers still has a ton to work with. Let’s not forget that Harris is only 26 years old and hasn’t even hit his prime yet. For a guy to play in this league for as long as Harris has and still have room to improve says a lot about his journey.

It’s not outside of the realm of possibility that Rivers can bring Harris back to his form he found on the Clippers. One of the main reasons why Harris could (and already has) fit well in a Doc Rivers’ system is the emphasis on positionless basketball. Harris plays like a combo forward. He’s big and can size up small forwards, while at the same time he’s quick and agile enough to handle power forwards.

As Doc Rivers put it:

"“I like that he’s a multi-positional player . . . that’s how we used him a lot in LA, we kept moving him back and forth to different spots.” via (Marc Narducci, The Philadelphia Inquirer)"

It all comes down to the scheming around mismatches. With a team as diverse as the 76ers, Rivers hopes to make the most of it. One of the most influential pieces to the success of this team will ultimately be Tobias Harris. With his current contract, the Sixers will need to get the most out of Harris. By bringing in Rivers, the Sixers could get more production out of their highest-paid player.

Next. The Philadelphia 76ers must address guard depth in the NBA Draft. dark