Tobias Harris signed a five-year max deal with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, but he needed some assurances on his role going forward before he did so.
Harris admitted last week to Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he felt he was underutilized after his arrival last season, and sought assurances from coach Brett Brown that this would change before ultimately agreeing to sign. Harris indicated that Brown largely agreed with his assessment, too.
“For sure, last year, we had a combination of different guys. We had and the newness of everybody,” Harris said. “But yes. I was definitely underutilized.
“It’s something, when I came into my meeting here, that Coach Brown talked about. How it would be in those situations.”
Harris was often the third option, at best, behind Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler last season. Butler has since departed for Miami, and the team has already made clear that Harris will be one of the players expected to step up and fill that void. It appears that’s exactly what Harris wants to hear and is ready to do.
