Philadelphia 76ers: 3 goals for Tobias Harris going into 2020-21

Goal No. 3 for Tobias Harris: Win the bench minutes with Al Horford

While Harris is generally the third offensive option in the starting lineup behind Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, he’s considerably more effective when the Big 2 is off the floor. When Embiid and Simmons are on, Harris has a usage rate of just 19.8, and his effective field goal percentage is an unimpressive 47.2 percent.

When the duo is off, his usage increases to 28.0 percent and his effective field goal percentage bumps up to 51.8 percent. Surprisingly enough, when the embattled Al Horford is on the floor with him and Embiid and Simmons are off, he’s even more effective on high usage. In this configuration, Harris has a usage rate of 28.5 percent and his eFG increases to 52.2 percent. Most importantly, this Harris-plus-Horford minus Embiid and Simmons configuration has a favorable net rating of +3.2.

It’s not likely that the Sixers will be able to trade either Tobias Harris or Al Horford, if they’re even inclined to do so, so what Doc Rivers needs to do is double down and ensure that this duo gets to feature prominently when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons go to the bench. It’s rare to have the surplus of talent that can fit with reserves as the Sixers do, and it’s an advantage they should make sure to utilize.