Tobias Harris reflects on 'great experience' with 76ers ahead of return

Today at 01:29 PM

PHILADELPHIA — After spending over five years with the Philadelphia 76ers, Tobias Harris is back in town as a member of the Detroit Pistons. His experience with the Sixers came up short of the championship goal. Failing to even crack the conference finals, Harris said, was the biggest disappointment of his time suiting up for title-hopeful teams in Philly.

Nonetheless, Harris explained that he wouldn't change how it all went down.

"For me, itwasagreatexperience," the veteran forward said ahead of the 76ers’ matchup with the Pistons. "I truthfullysaythatbecauseithelpedmegrow in so many differentelementsofmylife. Alltheyearshere — theupsanddowns,theexperienceofplayoffbasketball,winningseasons — [were] overall extremely importanttome…The experience and lessons along the way are ones that I would never change for anything — and it was not easy, as well."

Harris’ tenure with the Sixers was best summarized by Nick Nurse, who called it "rocky." The 76ers head coach said after his team’s practice on Tuesday that "the weight of what was ever going on about his contract and his play and did it match up and all that kind of stuff wasn’t much fun to be a part of."

The Sixers backed themselves into a corner by trading for Harris in a contract year all the way back in 2019. After watching Jimmy Butler go to the Miami Heat, the Sixers offered Harris the most lucrative contract in franchise history at that time: $180 million over five years. It was roughly $10 million shy of a maximum contract but effectively became known as such throughout Harris’ Sixers tenure.

Harris’ shortcomings as a player — namely a tendency to slow the offensive pace down and a reluctance to shoot a high volume of threes — limited the Sixers, especially because he remained a starter his entire Philly stint. Even last season, he wasn't benched despite some brutal struggles. It earned him no sympathy from fans, some of whom have celebrated Harris’ departure to Detroit more than Paul George’s arrival to the 76ers.

What Harris did provide the 76ers, though, was efficient scoring and a defensive option for the best opposing forward. He was injury-averse and always willing to help younger teammates find their footing. Guys like Tyrese Maxey, Ricky Council IV and Matisse Thybulle benefited from having an experienced, level-headed veteran in their corner.

"Imean, those are the onesthat I’ll neverforget," Harris said. "Just to seetheirgrowthanddevelopment,to see Tyresehaving the successthathe’shadand all the guys that I’vebeenable to justbe able to give sometype of influencetoorsome type ofexperienceandknowledge to hasbeenimportantto me. Seeing theirsuccess,that’s what a vet is for.I never tookthatjoblightly, ofbeinganinfluenceforthenextupcoming playersin this league. I’m alwayshappyto see thattypeofsuccess."

Tobias Harris returns to Philadelphia after leaving 76ers for Pistons

As much as 76ers fans are happy Harris left and harbor memories of mostly inconsistent play throughout his time with the team, those who spent time with him in the organization have always spoken about him glowingly.

Nurse, after describing Harris’ time with the Sixers, said that he’s a "good guy who was a great pro and tried really hard and worked really hard and produced a lot. I really like him. I like him as a person. I like him as a player."

Kelly Oubre Jr., who was only teammates with Harris last season, remembers him being "very business-casual — how he dressed, how he operates himself. Very professional. Very suave. Tobias is a great dude, man, but on that court, it’s gonna be a different story. We gotta go out here and win for the 76ers."

Maxey said previously that he and Harris still talk and that the veteran has helped the young star establish himself not just as an NBA player but as a leader, someone who can look after the younger guys just as Harris did for him. Council said that Harris was a great veteran for him during his rookie season.

Ricky Council IV shouts out Tobias Harris as a veteran who really helped him out. Said Harris is "a really good person" that gets too much hate.

"He was real big for me."

— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) May 3, 2024

For Harris, his fondest memories in Philly involve the people he got to spend his days alongside and the community events he supported.

"I’m lookingforward to seeing a lot of great people," Harris said. "There’sbeengreatpeoplehere [who] have beenamazingtomyself,myfamily, all the way down theline to people up in thesuites and booths thathavetreated my mom, wife, dad, family with the utmostrespect. It’sbeen a lot of people thathavealwaystreatedmeextremely well every time Istep foot in the building andthatI’mextremely grateful for."

Tobias Harris said that his energy for tonight’s game is about helping the Pistons get their first win of the season. The Sixers can't yet show that their decision to pursue George over re-signing him has paid off since the new star is dealing with a knee injury. In due time, Philly hopes to achieve what it never could with Harris and pick up its second win of the 2024-25 season.

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