Offseason eye surgery helping Detroit Pistons’ Tobias Harris ascend
By David Topham
Tobias Harris had LASIK eye surgery over the summer, which may be contributing to his red-hot three-point shooting for the Detroit Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons are 9-3 and Tobias Harris, who’s averaging 19.7 points per game, is a huge reason why. We already knew he could score in a variety of ways, but Harris is making (and taking) three pointers at a ridiculous rate 12 games into the season.
The Pistons’ power forward is shooting 49.3 percent from three-point range, way up from his career average of 34.3 percent. More impressive still, he’s doing it with volume – Harris is launching 6.3 triples per game compared to a career average of just 2.8 attempts.
What’s gotten into him? Here’s what James Edwards III, Pistons beat reporter for The Athletic, uncovered after Friday’s game:
"More from PistonPoweredWhich Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 seasonThe best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform numberFull Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratingsDetroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?“Letting it fly, for sure,” Harris told The Athletic about the secret to his 49.3-percent output from long range through 12 games this season. “Some other things, but we’ll talk about that later. I have to be consistent with it first before I talk about some other secrets, but there’s a couple other things that have gone into to help improve it. The emphasis, really, is to get good raise on [the shot],” Harris said. “I also got LASIK eye surgery, which was able to help me get better vision.”"
Harris previously wore contact lenses while playing, something that’s no longer needed following LASIK. He also shared he suffered “a couple of eye infections” last season as a result of sweat getting into his lenses, and that his vision’s gotten blurry on the court in the past.
His improved vision appears to be helping him take his game to another level.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Harris has 37 made threes (sixth most in the NBA) on 75 attempts (tied for the 16th most around the league). His 49.3 three-point percentage ranks seventh in the association, and nobody in front of him in the category has attempted more of them.
His new-found long range prowess is helping him achieve career highs in points per game (19.7), Player Efficiency Rating (19.3), and true shooting percentage (58.9 percent). It’s not just the long-range game the LASIK appears to have helped, either. Harris is shooting a career high 88.2 percent from the free throw line, up from his career average of 81.0 percent.
Harris’ willingness to shoot is a crucial component of Detroit’s offensive sets centered around a Reggie Jackson–Andre Drummond pick and roll. If he keeps up anywhere near this pace, it creates a pick-your-poison scenario for opposing defenses – they’ll either have to live with Jackson getting shots in the lane, Drummond slamming home dunks on rolls to the basket, or Harris getting a good look from deep.
Next: Detroit Pistons find themselves in elite company
Harris is still only 25 years old, and his elevated play has Detroit off to the franchise’s best start since the 2005-2006 season.