Positional Power Rankings: 30 best power forwards in the NBA
By John Buhler
Tobias Harris
Power Forward, Detroit Pistons
He may not be ideal “wall” material defensively for Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, but Tobias Harris is one of the few go-to scorers at power forward in the NBA. He is adept at putting the ball through the hoop in isolation. However, are we sure Harris will ever be more than a good-stats, bad-team guy?
Detroit has a few players that can create their own offense in point guard Reggie Jackson, shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Harris at the four. The problem is that basketball is played with only one basketball. Caldwell-Pope is improving as a spot-up shooter, but Harris is still very much a ball-centric forward at either position.
That being said, he can get hot and take over late in games. If Detroit envisions itself winning a playoff game or two should it qualify, the team will need Harris to come up big in crunch-time at least once. This is assuming that he doesn’t get frustrated and find himself in foul trouble.
Given that he is going to score wherever he plays, there will be great value for Harris for the rest of his NBA career. However, he may not be the blue-chip player the Orlando Magic thought that they were getting when they traded for him with the Milwaukee Bucks a few years ago. Nevertheless, Harris can start for a lower-level Eastern Conference Playoff team at either forward spot depending on roster construction.