Pistons unlocked the Tobias Harris they need with a small change

Tobias Harris played his best game since his return to the Detroit Pistons, dropping 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in the win last night against the Nets.

Harris made three huge buckets in the third quarter that shifted the momentum of the game when Detroit was struggling to score, which is precisely the reason they signed him to a free-agent deal. 

But he has mostly struggled early on, especially from long range, where he is shooting just 19 percent on the season, something that will eventually need to change. 

Harris has been leaving all of his 3-point shots short, which makes me wonder if he has his legs completely under him after missing most of training camp with COVID. 

Harris will eventually start hitting more shots from deep, but in the meantime, the Pistons have changed how they’ve been using him and it’s been effective. 

Isolation and playmaking for Tobias Harris 

The games against Philadelphia and Brooklyn showed how Harris can help the Pistons’ offense even if he is not hitting 3-point shots. 

He only made one bucket from long range in those two games combined, but still managed to score 36 combined points. Harris is hitting 54 percent of his two-point shots so far this season and it’s been in those situations when he has been most effective for Detroit. 

Last night the Pistons were hunting mismatches for Harris, putting him on the post and forcing Brooklyn to defend him with smaller guys, who Harris punished in isolation. Harris is very good about pinning his man deep and getting in position to receive the ball on the block.

The Pistons certainly don’t want to be running too many Tobias-iso plays per game, but it’s a way to get a quality look when the team needs a bucket. Several times in the 3rd quarter Harris was able to back his man into the paint and rise up for good short-range looks, which he knocked down. 

Harris has also been very good about passing out of these situations when the double comes, as he did last night to the tune of six assists. 

Getting him a little closer to the basket has also put him in a better rebounding position and it shows, as he’s getting nearly eight boards per game, highest of his career. Harris had three offensive rebounds last night and all of them led to buckets. 

This can be a weapon for him, as teams mostly focus on keeping Jalen Duren off the boards, which leaves Harris free to roam the weakside. 

With Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. all knocking down 3-point shots at 37 percent or higher, Detroit doesn’t necessarily need Tobias Harris to make 3’s in order to have quality spacing. 

Duren is still offering little down low, so having a guy who can occasionally get a bucket on the block to stop a run or end a drought is a nice weapon to have. 

Harris will need to hit more 3-pointers, but for now, the Pistons are making a conscious effort to get him in mismatches in the post and it’s working.