Tobias Harris did admittedly play a big role in Detroit as a leader and safety blanket over the last two seasons, but the offseason narratives after his departure have gotten out of hand. In fact, it's gotten to the point where Harris is becoming overrated because many fans and analysts are pegging him as the second-best player on the Pistons last season, which simply wasn't the case.
Harris was definitely not a primary driver of Detroit's success last season in the the regular season, when the Pistons won 60 games and finished as the top seed in the East. During that run, it was Jalen Duren who stepped up as the Pistons' second star and showed improved play on both ends. The playoffs were a different story, as Harris stepped up to become Detroit's second-leading scorer, but still had less of an impact than defensive ace Ausar Thompson.
Harris wasn't a star for the Pistons last season
It's true that Harris has some unique creation abilities with his old-man post game at the power forward position. The Pistons probably won't be able to recreate that exactly this season with new pickup John Collins. But that still doesn't make Harris a cornerstone of the Pistons' recent success.
He was a solid starter who played his role well, but it was the team's great defense and Cade Cunningham's superstar play, along with Duren's rise, that fueled the Pistons turnaround. The proof is in the pudding when you dive into the stats: Harris averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during his last two seasons in Detroit.
Those are solid numbers, about league-average for a forward. But Harris' departure is now being treated as a groundbreaking loss for the Pistons because of recency bias with the playoffs. In his most recent postseason run, Harris averaged 18 points per game but even that stretch is getting overrated. His scoring and efficiency dropped off sharply in the last 4 games of the second-round series, as the Cavaliers finally threw a capable defender at him in Evan Mobley.
The Pistons can replace Harris' production
Most importantly, the Pistons have already planted the seeds of replacing Harris' self-created buckets in the preseason. Ausar Thompson looks more confident than ever in his own scoring and ball-handling, while Duren also seems to have progressed further with the ball in his hands. Detroit has also added other shooters across the roster which should open up the floor and lead to more modern offense.
Harris did his job well in Detroit, which involved preparing the Pistons' younger stars to take a leap without him. Now that time has come and the Pistons did well to set up that future with shrewd offseason moves.
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