Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tobias Harris
See More
Harris has been a picture of consistency over the past few seasons, ranking as basically a top-60 player for six of the past nine years. He rounded out the 2022-23 campaign as the 59th-ranked player, averaging 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.7 three-pointers. While his overall production has dwindled somewhat, he has been able to increase his efficiency. The 76ers have not made a ton of changes during the offseason, meaning Harris should pick up where he left off last season. With that said, James Harden appears as good as gone after demanding a trade. If he is shipped off and no one substantial comes back, Harris could see a small bump, especially on the offensive end of the floor. All said and done, he should be targeted in the middle to late rounds of drafts.
It's safe to say Harris took a step back in the 2021-22 season, as he posted his lowest scoring average since the 2016-17 campaign with only 17.2 points per game. That trend could be expected to continue in a negative trajectory in 2022-23 as well, as Harris is expected to be nothing more than the third-best -- or even fourth-best -- option for the Sixers on offense, behind MVP candidate Joel Embiid, star guard James Harden and promising scorer Tyrese Maxey. Even considering the likely dip in his scoring figures, Harris can still be a solid fantasy contributor since his passing, rebounding and peripheral defensive stats remain decent for a player of his position since he averaged 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a combined 1.2 blocks and steals per game. It would be reasonable to expect similar figures again, as he has averaged at least 6.8 boards and 3.5 dimes per game -- a career-high mark -- in each of the last two campaigns. Harris could be a valuable mid-round to late-round selection in most formats, but fantasy managers need to be fully aware that he is not likely to be the offensive force he was back in the day, and that most of his contributions will now come due to his all-around ability rather than his scoring prowess.
The 2020-21 season was Harris' second full campaign with the 76ers. He put together a similar season to 2019-20, but marginal increases across the board resulted in the best per-game fantasy production of his career. The forward ranked 36th overall behind 19.5 points on 51/39/89 shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals-plus-blocks in 32.5 minutes. Harris was also excellent in the 76ers' 12-game playoff run, averaging 21.8 points on 49/37/88 shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals. He's established himself as one of the best non-All-Stars in the NBA. His role shouldn't change this season. There's always the potential for him to see slightly increased usage if Ben Simmons gets traded as rumored, but it's probably not safe to bank on that and draft Harris much earlier than last season's fantasy value. As it stands, he's a nice third-to-fourth-round option.
Harris delivered the goods in his first full season as a Sixer, posting 19.6 points per game -- the second-best mark of his career -- while filling out the stat sheet with averages of 1.8 threes and 6.9 boards. A durable player and an efficient shooter from both the field and the free-throw line, Harris should remain a staple of Philadelphia's offensive attack in 2020-21. His productivity may dip a bit if both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are able to stay healthy, but that's far from a given, and Harris is sure to post strong numbers regardless, though you can't count on him for much in the way of defensive stats. It's worth noting that Harris saw his long-range accuracy dip to 36.7 percent last year on the heels of 41.1 and 39.7 marks the prior two seasons. If he can get his three-point shooting back to those lofty levels, it wouldn't be out of the question for Harris to clear 20 points per game for the second time in his career. Fantasy players can feel free to scoop him up as a reliable, high-floor option in this year's drafts.
Harris has played on five teams across his eight-year career, but it appears he's finally found a home. The 76ers traded for Harris at the 2018-19 deadline, and he went on to average 18.2 points on 46.9 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 threes for Philly. During the offseason, Harris and the 76ers agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract. Though Harris spent 86 percent of his minutes at power forward while with the 76ers last season, it appears a move to small forward is in the cards after the team acquired Al Horford over the summer. It's possible that will result in some growing pains, as Harris last played primarily small forward during the 2014-15 season. Harris might grab slightly fewer rebounds, but fantasy owners shouldn't have too much concern aside from that. All things considered, Harris' role should be similar to last season, and he should continue providing value mainly as an efficient all-around scorer and rebounder.
Harris split the 2017-18 campaign between the Pistons and Clippers, but finished the year in Los Angeles after being dealt there in the blockbuster Blake Griffin trade. He actually upped his production after switching teams and in 32 games, Harris averaged 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals across 34.5 minutes. He was extremely efficient from beyond the arc, shooting a blistering hot 41.4 percent and knocking down 2.2 per game. Adding on to that, Harris' other percentages were valuable as well, going 47.3 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free-throw. All in all, Harris produced the multi-category production that Fantasy owners covet and he likely out-performed his draft positioning in many leagues. Owners will have to pay up ahead of the upcoming campaign though, as Harris is once again expected to be a top option offensively for a team that no longer has Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. It seems likely that Harris should be able to mimic the numbers he tallied after getting traded, and he could even up his rebound numbers with Jordan's 15.2 boards per game no longer around, which should make him a top-50 pick in most leagues. He's also missed just five games or less in each of the last six seasons, so the reliability is there as well.
Despite starting just 48-of-82 games during the 2016-17 campaign, Harris ended up leading the Pistons in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 48.1 percent from the field. Most of that rotation was coach Stan Van Gundy moving Jon Leuer in and out of the starting lineup, while allowing Harris to provide a scoring spark off the bench as the team's sixth man. That didn't matter much for Harris' value, though, as he pretty much saw a full workload whether he was starting or leading the charge with the second unit. Harris' value mostly comes from his scoring, but he did add 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 three-pointers across 31.3 minutes. The Pistons made a bunch of moves this offseason, letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency before trading Marcus Morris to the Celtics in exchange for Avery Bradley. Bradley's addition should cover Caldwell-Pope's role at shooting guard, but Morris' departure should mean a full-time starting gig for Harris. Depending on whether or not Van Gundy wants to go big or small, Harris should start at either small forward or power forward, but that likely won't mean much in terms of changing his Fantasy value. Harris is expected to see a similar workload to the 31.1 minutes he averaged a season ago, which should keep his overall production relatively the same.
Inked to a four-year, $64 million extension with the Magic last July, Harris was viewed as a foundational player in Orlando's rebuild, and was expected to make great strides in 2015-16 while reuniting with coach Scott Skiles, who formerly oversaw Harris when the two were in Milwaukee together. A breakthrough in Orlando didn't materialize, however, with Harris averaging 13.7 points per game -- his lowest figure since joining the Magic three years earlier -- along with 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 three-pointer per game. Harris' lack of rim protection further lessened his impact, especially when he was paired alongside the defensively-challenged Nikola Vucevic. In determining that he was no longer a fit in their long-term vision, the Magic decided to deal Harris while his youth and upside still intrigued other teams, ultimately settling on sending him to the Pistons prior to the deadline. The 24-year-old would quickly slide into the starting lineup at the forward spot opposite Marcus Morris and seemed to find his place with his new team as an effective complementary scorer, averaging 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 treys over 33.4 minutes per game in 27 appearances. As his time with the Magic over the past year indicates, an organization can fall in and out of love with Harris quickly, but for now, the Pistons believe they have their power forward of the present and future. Harris is far from a finished product, so with some improvement on the defensive end and from the three-point line, he could eventually develop into a fringe All-Star player.
Last season, Harris rebounded from a poor 2013-14 season marred by a lingering high ankle sprain suffered in training camp to register his best season as a pro. In 35 minutes per contest over a career-high 68 games, Harris averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.3 three-pointers per game. He was able to drastically improve his three-point shooting to a career-high 36 percent, a 10-percent surge, by abusing the corners. Harris finished as one of the deadliest post-up scorers, converting 51 percent on such plays. However, he routinely stalled the offense with his methodical play style and regressed on the defensive end, displaying lackluster effort in isolation and team sets. Although his first stint with current Magic coach Scott Skiles in Milwaukee was subject to limited playing time and an eventual trade, both have publicly denied any rift in their working relationship, and that bodes well for Harris. Fresh off signing a four-year, $64 million deal, Harris is expected to resume a similar role this upcoming season.
Tobias Harris will enter his fourth NBA season at the ripe age of 22. Last season, he averaged 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 30 minutes per game through 61 games. Harris shot 46 percent from the field on 11.7 attempts per game and 81 percent from the free-throw line on 4.0 attempts per game. A preseason ankle injury derailed his start last season, and a position change - combined with a minutes reduction - ensured reduced production across the board as Harris was unable to live up to his post-trade 27-game output from when he first joined the Magic at the trade deadline in 2012-13. In actuality, his Per-36 minute stats were nearly identical, with a noticeable dip in blocks as he played more minutes at small forward. Harris did see his field goal percentage increase roughly three percent every month last season, coinciding with improved rhythm and his stint as a reserve the final two months of the season. The addition of his cousin Channing Frye mucks up frontcourt minutes, and Harris's inability to knock down three-pointers consistently may slot him into Orlando's sixth man role. Harris shot just 25 percent from beyond the arc last season.
In 27 games with the Magic last season, Harris averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers in 36 minutes per game. His shooting percentages of .453/.310/.721 and his 1.8 turnovers per game didn't do much harm either. To put those initial numbers into perspective, they are almost identical to Paul Millsap's career season in 2010-11, with Harris having the edge in three-pointers and Millsap having a similar edge in field-goal percentage. The difference of course is that this was Harris's first taste of a legitimate role on an NBA team, while Millsap was in the prime of his career. At 21 years old, it's not unrealistic to expect Harris to improve across the board in 2013-14. Given that he did all this on a bad team late in the season, and lacks a lengthy track record for fantasy excellence, he should be a bargain on draft day, and has a chance to lead all small forwards in rebounding, even though he'll primarily play the four for the Magic. The number one question is whether the playing time will be up at the level it was for him last season after coming to Orlando in the J.J. Redick trade. He certainly did enough to earn big minutes again, but the Magic were without Glen Davis at that point, and they also have capable youngsters in Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson, who like Harris and unlike Davis, are part of the long-term plan. It's possible that Harris is the best player on the team, so he should be safe from a playing time perspective, but that would be the No. 1 argument against a breakout year for Harris.
He did not make much of an impact during his rookie season, but the Bucks have more in store for Harris during the 2012-13 season. Harris improved so much during the offseason that he will enter the current campaign as the Bucks’ starting small forward. Harris will compete for minutes with several players, but averaged about 20 minutes per game during the preseason and figures to play a similar number when the real games start. Harris shouldn’t be counted on for a big fantasy impact, but the 20-year-old is a player on the rise.
Harris was selected 19th overall in this year’s draft after playing just one season, albeit a very good one, at Tennessee. He has good size and can get to the free throw line, but as the youngest player in the league, he’ll likely be more of a project than a contributor in his rookie year.