CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris’s main role on the offensive end is to knock down open looks from deep when he gets them. He can score in a variety of ways, but in this offense, he has to take and make open looks and also move without the ball.
However, Harris is taking only 2.9 3-point attempts per game on the season. He has taken just one 3-pointer in each of his previous two games. He has to launch a good number of 3s to be more effective on that end.
“It’s definitely something I’ve been evaluating as well,” said Harris on Thursday. “I’ve been figuring out how to get more looks up. I’m taking the ones that are there on a nightly basis. Sometimes, it ends up being four of them, sometimes it ends up being one, but obviously just staying consistent and being in the gym and getting the looks up and being ready for it.”
The Sixers want Harris to take as many 3s as he can. He is an efficient shooter from deep and can be relied upon in that role. It’s something coach Nick Nurse wants as well.
“Obviously, we came into the season and coach Nurse has wanted me to get up seven or eight of them a game.” Harris continued. “Obviously, sometimes, that’s not presented on a night-to-night basis, but it’s not shying away from ones that I do get and being consistent with it and truly just looking for it, but time to time, I watch the film every game looking for different opportunities.”
Harris’s looks are mostly generated from dribble penetration. When his teammates get to the basket and draw defenders before kicking it out to him for an open look from deep, that is when he gets those looks.
“Sometimes, it’s on a night-to-night basis,” Harris added. “The way I look at it is, the ones that you do get, you gotta be efficient with it. You gotta shoot it a high volume and shoot them at a high clip. If it’s two of them, make the best of it. If it’s six of them, make the best of it. I think a lot of it comes from 3s that have generated my way in the past are a lot of them off penetration and kick so just continuing to find ways through our offense of getting those looks and sometimes, myself, driving in the lane, kicking out for 3s, the more we can create a little more ball movement, that’ll generate more of them.”
On the season, Harris is shooting 34.2% from deep. That’s down from the 38.9% he shot in the 2022-23 season. If he can get a few more looks from 3-point range, his efficiency is likely to go up.
“I spoke with coach about it as well if he thought I was passing up any,” he finished. “He said that he doesn’t think so, and we’ve watched film as well. Just figuring out ways and figuring out through the half-court offense, different settings where maybe you can let that one go. It may not be the most comfortable look, but just letting it fly. It’s something I’ve definitely tried to get better at and hunt and get more attempts up.”
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