Tobias Harris has played for five different teams, including the Detroit Pistons twice, so he knows what it’s like to be included in trade rumors and the increased scrutiny that comes with being on a team with playoff aspirations.
Harris is a consummate professional, which is one of the reasons I was excited the Pistons signed him, as he’s consistent and had been around long enough to be a mentor to the young players. Harris is not a rah rah guy who is going to get in people’s faces, but he clearly knows how to talk to young players, which we saw a lot of last season.
Harris has been traded a few times (including in the disastrous Blake Griffin deal that sent him to the Clippers) and has faced an aggressive and angry media landscape in Philly, where he was often made the scapegoat for their failures, so he is well familiar with the dark side of the NBA media.
Though all of that, Harris was able to maintain his focus and professionalism and just kept doing his thing, which will be valuable experience he can lend to his young teammates this season as they face new kinds of pressure.
Tobias Harris knows how to tune out the noise
Harris is on an expiring contract this season, so he is already being included in every trade rumor for a star, as the Pistons would need his contract to match any big salary coming back.
That’s not new territory for Harris, so I am sure he’ll take it in stride and not let the chatter bother him. It might not be as easy for his young teammates who are facing a new kind of media attention for the first time.
Not only do the Pistons have increased expectations after making the playoffs last season, but players like Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser will be included in trade rumors if they aren’t extended, right alongside Harris. No one was really paying attention to the Pistons last season, so this will be unfamiliar territory for the young guys.
The NBA is ultimately a business and players know they can be traded at any time, but having a veteran like Harris around will be invaluable in helping the young guys limit that noise and focus on their games.
His role as an understated veteran leader will be even more important as the young Pistons enter the new waters of increased expectations and speculation about their futures with the team.