By Kevin McCormick, Sports Talk Philly Staff Writer 
Ever since the Sixers traded for Tobias Harris in February last year everyone has asked the same question, can he look like his old self on the Sixers roster? There were times last season where it looked like Harris had a hard time finding his fit on the team sharing the floor with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, JJ Redick, and Jimmy Butler. But this year things have changed greatly for Harris.
Now that Redick and Butler are gone, Harris has been able to become the second option on offense and has started to thrive in this role. He has seemed settled in with this Sixers team now and is starting to look like the Tobias Harris that was scoring 20 points a night for the Clippers last season.
The run that Tobias Harris has been on right now has been a breath of fresh air for Sixers fans. Over the summer, some people were skeptical when the Sixers gave him a five-year 180 million dollar contract but right now there is no debate that he is living up to the deal.
Over his last 10 games, Harris is averaging 22.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.1 BPG. Harris is also shooting 36% from three in this stretch, bouncing back from his 0-23 stretch from beyond earlier this season. This jump in his numbers just might get Harris his first career All-Star selection.
On top of Harris starting to look like his old self, he has grown his game in the offseason as well. During training camp, Harris said that he had been working on his defense all offseason and it has shown. He has been a more than serviceable defender and has bought into the defensive juggernaut theme that the Sixers have taken on this year.
When the Sixers traded away Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat there were concerns that the Sixers would be without a closer. So far this season we have seen multiple Sixers close out games down the stretch, but Harris has been one of the most reliable players late in games this season.
In the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris is currently shooting 47.7% from the field this season. This percentage is his second-highest of any quarter right now. Harris is proving to be the guy that the Sixers can go to late in games and knock down big shots anywhere on the floor when needed. Which is something this team is going to need as they compete for a championship.
Harris starting to find his place on the Sixers is huge as he is going to be a vital piece for this team going forward. One can only hope that he continues his high-level play throughout this entire season.
