Tobias Harris has a chance to be the latest Pistons alum that contributes to a championship soon after, since he joined the reigning Western Conference champion Spurs this offseason. But the Spurs could also regret signing Harris if they rely on his three-point shooting too much and expect him to be a knockdown sniper. Harris is a great player and veteran presence, but his outside shot leaves a lot to be desired.
The Spurs shouldn't expect Harris to be a lights-out shooter
Spurs fans are already celebrating Harris as a potential shooting upgrade over Harrison Barnes in the backup power forward spot. But three-point shooting isn't exactly a strength for Harris in the modern NBA. In fact, his inconsistent accuracy and aggression shooting threes in Detroit were big limiting factors on his offensive impact.
During his last two seasons with the Pistons, Harris hit 35% of his threes on 3.7 attempts per game. Those would have been great numbers for a power forward when Harris came into the league, but they are pedestrian now. In fact, the Spurs already have a better shooting option in Barnes; he shot 39% from deep last season on 4.6 attempts per game (and less minutes).
To be fair, the Pistons offense might not have been the best environment for Harris to shoot threes. He's hit at or close to 40% from deep in previous seasons with other teams, but Detroit's general stagnancy in their offense and crowded spacing didn't always get him the best look. But Harris also had a frustrating tendency to pass up open or semi-open threes because he wasn't confident in his shooting.
Harris prefers to play a different style
As Pistons fans know very well, Harris can still be a great power forward because he's able to score in other ways. He was Detroit's second leading scorer last postseason because he thrived in the post, especially against mismatches. Harris is one of the league's last bastions of the post fade, which is quickly becoming a lost art among the new generation.
In general, Harris is better creating his own shot than finishing plays as a three-point shooter. Even against tight defensive coverages, he can usually manufacture a decent look with his wily bag of veteran scoring moves. But his outside shooting, even from the short corners, is much less reliable.
Even while he was playing great for the Pistons in the playoffs, Harris hit just 29% of his threes across the 2026 postseason. He was especially inefficient from the right corner, hitting just 24% of his looks there. Unfortunately for the Spurs, that's exactly where they might park him to take advantage of Victor Wembanyama's roll gravity. And it's where they might learn the same lesson as the Pistons.
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