Grading Pistons debut for Tobias Harris: Only two problems in game one
There were some positives to take away from the Detroit Pistons’ opening night loss to the Pacers, but that doesn’t take the sting out of a tough defeat.
It was a hard-fought game with both teams ramping up the defensive intensity, especially in the first half, as the Pistons held last year’s best offense under 50 points.
It was a tale of two halves for the Pistons, as the veterans got things going with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris hitting shots early, and Cade Cunningham took over in the 2nd half.
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Harris showed exactly what he will provide for the Pistons, as he was a steadying force at times on both ends. He played tough defense on Pascal Siakam and got Detroit some much-needed buckets in the first half.
But there were two problems with Tobias Harris’ debut that spoiled his return to Detroit and kept him and the team from getting high marks.
Tobias Harris debut grade: Two problems
The first problem is obvious, which is that the Pistons didn’t win the game. You can talk about effort all you want but in the end, the W is all that matters and the Pistons didn’t get it.
The second problem is that Harris was just 1-of-6 from the 3-point line, a problem that plagued most of the team.
Detroit was just 27 percent from 3-point range as a team, with four of their nine makes coming from Tim Hardaway Jr., two at the start of each half.
Both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey were trying to get to the rim, so tonight was a night they needed their shooters, particularly Harris, who disappeared offensively in the second half after a strong start.
Part of that was he was spending a lot of effort trying to contain Siakam, which is not an easy assignment. Another part was that Cunningham caught fire in the third quarter and the offense was running through him most of the time, a strategy that eventually ran out of gas.
Siakam ended up with good numbers but Harris gave effort on defense all night and didn’t make it easy for him.
It wasn’t the result we wanted, but the first half showed flashes of what this team can be and what Harris will provide. He can carry the offense at times when Cade is struggling (as he was in the first half) and is going to provide defensive effort.
He would have liked the win, but it was a solid debut for Harris that shows what he’ll bring to the team.