NBA Rumors: Ben Simmons Shares His Assessment Of ‘Silent Assassin’ Tobias Harris
While everyone was busy talking about Anthony Davis and his next landing spot, the Philadephia 76ers silently engaged in a trade negotiation with the Los Angeles Clippers before the February NBA trade deadline. The Sixers traded Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and two future first-round picks to the Clippers in exchange for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott.
Some people believe that the Sixers sacrificed too many trade assets in their recent deal with the Clippers, but Philadelphia is very confident that the move puts them closer to winning an NBA championship. As of now, their newest acquisitions continue to prove that the Sixers made the right decision to engage in a blockbuster deal with the Clippers before the February NBA trade deadline.
In an interview with Rachel Nichols on ESPN’s The Jump, Ben Simmons talked about Tobias Harris and his impact on the Sixers.
“Tobias is new, he’s different,” Simmons said of his new teammate, as transcribed by Sixers Wire. “He’s more of a quieter guy, but he’s kinda like a silent assassin when he steps out on the floor. He gets the job done, plays hard and he’s a team guy.”
Tobias Harris is still trying to make himself fit in the Sixers’ system, but there’s no doubt that his acquisition tremendously increased Philadelphia’s chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the 2019 NBA championship. In the first four games he played in Philly, the 26-year-old forward has established an impressive performance on both ends of the floor, averaging 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 51.9 percent shooting from the field, and 38.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Late Tuesday night, the Clippers put themselves into the Davis chase, if they want to be, by sending Tobias Harris and two other players to Philadelphia. https://t.co/2C6hQNc3eb
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 6, 2019
In his recent article, Tom West of SB Nation’s Liberty Ballers shared the data, showing that Tobias Harris is a great fit with the Sixers. In the games he played as the new member of the 76ers’ starting five, Harris posted a plus-24.6 net rating, with a 116.5 offensive rating and 91.9 defensive rating.
“Out of 32 players averaging at least 20 points per game this season, Harris is last in usage percentage at just 23.5. With careful shot selection, a diverse array of scoring weapons, and a 60.7 True Shooting Percentage for the season (7th among those 20-point-per-game scorers), Harris has effectively picked his spots in a variety of ways for the Sixers.”
Those are only a few samples of what Tobias Harris can contribute to the Sixers. If he and the Sixers’ core develop better chemistry and remain healthy throughout the season, Philadelphia could end up becoming the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors’ throne this season.
