Way too early prediction for the 76ers 2023-24 starting lineup
By Ian Levy
Small Forward: Tobias Harris
The 76ers may explore trading Harris this offseason and would probably like to find, if not an upgrade, then certainly just a different look here. Harris is not a great defender but he has a lot of offensive value. He’s a matchup buster who can be very efficient attacking certain defenders in isolation or on the low block and he’s a respectable shooter, although the weird peaks and valleys in his 3-point shooting numbers season-by-season are intensely frustrating — 38.9 percent last season, 36.7 the year before, 39.4 percent in 2020-21, 36.7 percent in 2019-20, 39.7 in 2018-19. Those may not seem like big swings but it’s the different between elite and slightly above average and has huge implications for their spacing and overall offensive efficiency.
The problem is there aren’t going to be many trade partners given his bloated contract and, in the end, his offensive value and shooting next to Joel Embiid are probably better than anything else the 76ers are going to find on the trade market to slide into their frontcourt. So Harris is back, and Philadelphia has to hope he outside shooting doesn’t dip again.