Tobias Harris declares that he wants his damn respect after realizing that people don’t view him as a member of the Sixers’ elite.
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The 6’8″ combo forward is having a career year for Philly. He’s averaging 20.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season. These are career highs across the board, including his shooting splits.
Tobi is shooting 51.3% from the field, 40.3% from 3-point range and 89.4% from the free throw line. This means that he’s well and truly on course to becoming the 9th member of the 50-40-90 club.
The 28-year-old is receiving very little All-Star buzz despite arguably being the Sixers’ second-best player this year. Voters did not put him anywhere near the top 10 frontcourt players in the East. The implication is that Harris will likely not be considered by coaches either.
Tobias Harris speaks out about the low profile he’s been maintaining
Lesser men than Tobias would be in their feelings about the perceived disrespect from fans and peers. Harris himself is no exception, but he is classy about it when asked:
“Yeah, you know, that shit pisses me off. I ain’t even gonna lie. But I also kind of get it because that’s kind of been me my whole life. You know, I was a top-10 player coming out (of Tennessee in 2011), and I wasn’t on many draft boards like that in the beginning.”
“Even now, it’s like if you look at those stats (this season), you would say, ‘Oh wow’ (but he remains under the radar). … But at the same time, the respect that I always care about is the respect between myself and teammates.”
Tobias Harris in 87 games with the LA Clippers:
20.3 PPG
7.2 RPG
.487 FG%
.426 3P%
.856 FT%Tobias Harris in 2020-21 with the #Sixers
20.9 PPG
7.9 RPG
.519 FG%
.427 3P%
.894 FT%We asked for Clippers Tobi. Doc gave us something better.#NBAAllStar
— Brian Jacobs – The Painted Lines (@BrianMikeJacobs) February 20, 2021
It remains to be seen how well the Sixers go through the remainder of the season. After a disastrous 3-game losing streak, the Nets are now hot on their heels, and are only 1 loss behind Philly.