Philadelphia 76ers SF/PF Tobias Harris seems unlikely to average 20 PPG this season, not when he is the fourth scorer on the team after C Joel Embiid, PG/SG James Harden and PG/SG Tyrese Maxey. It doesn't mean he can't help fantasy managers, though.
Harris averaged just shy of 20 PPG in his first two full seasons with Philadelphia, pulling in just shy of 7 RPG and shooting well, and he was generally underrated by fantasy managers who were perhaps surprised this relative journeyman -- this is his fifth NBA club -- was suddenly really good.
Then, last season came the Harden trade and Maxey became a star and now... what is Harris?
There are few NBA teams in which the scoring hierarchy is so deep, clear and obvious, and the reason why Harris can still earn his cautious ninth-round ADP is because he has become a more versatile fantasy option, and also several of Philly's stars miss so many games.
Embiid is hardly durable, though he surprisingly participated in 68 games last year. However, he missed four of the past five games, one with a sore knee, three with the flu. It would be a surprise if he made it into 68 games again. Harden has a right foot tendon strain and won't play again until December.
While PG/SG De'Anthony Melton moved into the starting lineup and greatly increased his value, Harris is producing bigger numbers without Harden, mainly because the opportunity is there. Harris didn't score 20 points in any of his first nine games and didn't get 15 field goal attempts in any of them. Nor was he getting to the free throw line much. While the other guys score the points, Harris sacrifices his game for the betterment of the team. When one -- or more -- of the other guys is out, well, Harris does more. It seems obvious.
Now Harris has scored 23 and 21 points in the past two games, including Monday against Phoenix, supplying 93 fantasy points. He's averaging 35 fantasy points per game this season, contributing 6.6 RPG, 3 APG, 1.4 SPG and hitting his field goals, as per usual. You may not realize it, but Harris, despite plummeting usage until the past few games, is No. 36 on the Player Rater, well ahead of the flashier Maxey (23.6 PPG!), and they are tied in fantasy points. Interesting, eh?
It's good to see Harris more involved now that the team craves more offense, though fantasy managers would certainly prefer a larger role all the time. Well, it could happen in an unplanned way, though nobody wishes for injury. On Monday, Embiid repeatedly tried to feed Harris for post-ups against the Suns, a new thing for an offense Harden runs differently, and it worked some of the time.
In addition, Harris should get more isolation plays called for him with Harden out, but he's not an aggressive player. He needs to score off transition, too. The 76ers want him hitting spot-up 3-pointers - and he's open so much of the time - and Harris is doing this. He's shooting 44% from 3-point range, easily a career best, and nearly half his shots come from deep. I kind of like this new version of Harris, even if he settles in around 17 PPG.
It wouldn't be fair to say 76ers coach Doc Rivers forgot about Harris the first few weeks. While his exorbitant salary makes him difficult to trade and he's not a perfect fit for what the team needs (outside shooting and better defense), he's nevertheless helping fantasy managers who got him at a big discount.
Harris was a top-50 fantasy option two seasons ago and he can still do that scoring fewer "traditional" points but doing other things to deliver fantasy points, such as hitting more 3-pointers and adding steals. Good for Harris. 76ers fans may not appreciate him, and he may end up on his sixth franchise in a year or so, but this is an underrated team player changing his game after a decade in the league. He deserves praise.
Other random thoughts
--Melton remains available in 75% of ESPN standard leagues despite accumulating loads of steals, which may make him more valuable in roto leagues than points formats, but still, Melton matters. He had nine assists in a recent game, and multiple blocked shots in the past two contests. He defends and can shoot better on 3-pointers. Harris gets more volume when Harden/Embiid sit, but Melton nearly doubles his own minutes.
--Jakob Poeltl investors can't be surprised that he's missed more free throws than he has made, since he's been doing this for years, but his free throw season is so interesting. The San Antonio Spurs center hits his field goals, rebounds and blocks shots, as always. We like that. Poeltl entered Wednesday having missed each of his two free throw attempts in three consecutive games. He's made only 17-of-35 attempts, but most of them came in the Oct. 21 game versus the Pacers. He went 13-of-21 as they kept fouling him! Good move! Poeltl doesn't attempt enough free throws to really hurt a fantasy manager, at least not yet. We hope he confines his lack of free throw shooting skill to two misses per night.
--I think it's great that Washington Wizards PF/C Kristaps Porzingis is among the top 20 options on the Player Rater, producing his normal, stellar numbers, but the numbers are never the problem with this fellow. The problem is the missed games. He last played in 60 games during the 2016-17 season! He missed 31 games last season and the Dallas Mavericks just got tired of it. Some fantasy managers got tired of this years ago. I advise Porzingis investors to seek trade options before the inevitable, and I don't think it's pessimistic. It's realistic. I mean, even Embiid topped 60 games last season!
--Miami Heat PG Kyle Lowry is 36 years old and he's averaging 35 MPG. This concerns me. Lowry misses loads of games each season and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is playing him myriad minutes. Lowry is shooting 39% on field goals, and I'm not sure that number rises so much. Gabe Vincent is the backup and while I admit I rarely think of him for fantasy, I wonder if we need to think of him the way we do Suns PG Cameron Payne, the potentially valuable Chris Paul backup. Could be relevant.
--I realize the ESPN Player Rater has its faults, but I like to look at it because each time I do I spot something different. Entering Wednesday, Milwaukee Bucks PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo was third on his own team in value, behind Jrue Holiday and - surprise - Brook Lopez! Utah Jazz SF/PF Lauri Markkanen is in the top 10 overall. Orlando Magic PF Paolo Banchero is awesome and obviously the top rookie, but still only No. 44 on the Rater (low steals, 3-pointers, shooting), way behind teammate Bol Bol and barely ahead of Wendell Carter. There is no New York Knickerbocker in the top 50. Neither of the Cleveland Cavaliers big men (Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen) are top 50. LeBron James (rough shooting) is No. 68! Wow! Until next week, never stop learning!