This is Still the Same Tobias – Philadelphia Sports Nation

Let’s all just take a chill pill on Tobias Harris. I get it. He scored a lot of points the last two games and was a significant factor in the Sixers getting two good wins. He played great. The only problem is, he has done this his whole time with the Sixers and his whole career before that.

Last 10 Games

Minus these last two games, Harris has scored over 20 points just one time. He averaged just 13 points per game in that 8-game stretch before games against the Hornets and the Mavs. Then, when you put those two games into the averages, voila, that average shoots up to over 16 ppg. 16 ppg is great, but the inconsistency kills.

Career Numbers

Over his career, he has averaged 16.3 ppg on around 47% shooting and a respectable 36.9% from 3. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, then I’m not sure what will. Those are essentially the exact number that he has put up over the last 10 games. Decent averages does not mean a good player. He has made a living from sub-par play boosted by the occasional 2-5 game stretch of good basketball that inflates his numbers to make him seem like a much better player than he is.

This season, he averages 17.6 points per game, 50% field goal, and 35.6% from 3. These are the same numbers! He is who he is and there’s no changing that.

Common Misconceptions

There’s a state going around that says the Sixers are 98-47 when Harris scored 20 or more points. OK? I bet most teams win more than they lose when more players score more points. That’s just common sense. The problem with that stat is: he’s played 362 games. He has scored 20 or more points in just 145/362 games. Broken down, that equals approximately 2 out of every 5 games. That’s not good enough for a near-max contract player.

Also, some people say “Tobias Harris can’t score like he used to anymore. He’s getting old.”

No he’s not.

Just look at his career numbers. They are the same this year as they have been every year. It’s not that he isn’t the player he was with us just a couple years ago. It’s that he isn’t sharing the court with the most dominant scorer the NBA has had in years (that’s Joel Embiid if you didn’t know).

How Much More of This?

Luckily, this is the last year of Tobias’ contract. It’s safe to say we only have to watch this consistently inconsistent basketball for just a few more months.

The only way two ways Tobias stays:

• They win the NBA finals
• He comes back on a very team friendly deal (I mean he owes us right?)

Those are the only two conditions that could warrant this man returning to Philadelphia next season. Daryl Morey will make a huge mistake resigning him. Even if he does sign a team friendly deal, I don’t think many people will be happy with it. He will have to take a reduced role, which could be awkward, and he’d be making less money. He would be better suited playing for a bad team where he can be his inconsistent self.

Picture from Getty Images