Tobias Harris came up huge in last night’s road win over the Magic and got the last laugh on Paolo Banchero in the process.
Harris had 23 points, seven rebounds, two steals (that’s 8 in the last two games) and a block to outduel his counterpart Banchero, who had one more point but was -25 on the night, getting more than half of his points at the free throw line and coughing up nine turnovers in the process.
Harris was wearing the Magic out last night, who had no answer for his post ups and couldn’t attack him on the other end, which is hilarious after Banchero had this exchange with Harris earlier in the season (warning, some off color language in this one).
Banchero wasn’t talking much last night, as he and the Magic had no answer for the “old” Harris, who is proving exactly why the Pistons didn’t ditch him at the trade deadline.
Tobias Harris is still the X-Factor for the Pistons
When someone other than Cade Cunningham scores 20+ points, the Pistons are tough to beat, which is what happened last night even though they were horrendous from 3-point range.
The Pistons resisted the temptation to try and turn Tobias Harris’ expiring contract into an upgrade at the trade deadline, though there didn’t appear to be one available that the Pistons thought was worth it.
And nights like last night show why, as the Pistons were able to turn to their “security blanket” when they were struggling mightily to score in the half court against Orlando.
Harris may be on the wrong side of 30, but he still has one skill that will be crucial for the Pistons in the playoffs, which is that he can get his own shot.
Harris is really the only player other than Cade that the Pistons can throw the ball to and say, “get us a bucket,” and he delivers more times than not. This will be vital in the playoffs if the Pistons are struggling or need to stop another team’s onslaught.
Eventually, the Pistons will have to upgrade the four spot, as Harris is on an expiring deal, but for now, he’s a huge x-factor for how far they will go in the playoffs.
Harris got the last laugh on Banchero but still has to prove he can come up big like this in the biggest games, which will be a deciding factor in how far the Pistons go this season.
Unc still has gas in the tank and is still a matchup problem for a lot of teams, but Detroit will need these types of nights more consistently moving into the second season.