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Following the Philadelphia 76ers' win over the Houston Rockets this week, Tobias Harris was one of the biggest storylines. Not for his play, but something he did during the game that raised some eyebrows.
It's no secret Harris has struggled in 2021-22. Coming off arguably the best season of his career, his play of late has been up-and-down. Nobody is bothered more by this dip in production than Harris himself, a reality that became glaringly apparent on Monday night.
Early on against Houston, Harris was once again struggling on the offensive end. He made only three of his first 10 shot attempts, and the home crowd was not shy about showing its frustration. As the misses piled up, 76ers fans began to shower Harris with boos.
Later on, he started to turn his fortunes around. When his shots started to fall, the Philly faithful had a change of heart and began cheering for the 29-year-old. It was at this time Harris was seen mouthing to the crowd to stop clapping.
It was a rare out-of-character moment for Harris, one that caught some team personnel by surprise. Instead of dwelling on Monday's events, the Sixers' forward used Wednesday's meeting with the Orlando Magic as a chance to leave them behind him.
Harris had a much-needed bounce-back performance in Orlando, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists on near 50% shooting from the floor. After the game, Harris spoke about the events that transpired earlier in the week. He admitted his frustrations got the best of him and made clear he has no ill will towards Sixers fans.
“I understand our fan base boos at times. They also cheer for us louder than anybody. I don't want anybody to get it twisted, I love our fan base, and the excitement coming into the Wells Fargo arena. They are our sixth man in helping us,” Harris said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
“At that point, I was completely frustrated for sure, and it was just one of those things. Obviously, something that I learned from it is keep it cool all the way around and per who I am.”
This is a prime example of why Harris has built a reputation around the league as a consummate professional. There were an endless amount of ways he could have handled this, and he chose the correct one. Harris admitted his emotions got the best of him in the moment and intends to learn from his mistakes.
Since arriving in Philadelphia, Harris has established himself as a leader in the locker room. He managed to not only use this as a teaching moment for himself but set an example for the rest of the team. This type of accountability and maturity is something a team loves to see from one of its stars.
Moving forward, Harris simply needs to block out the noise and keep his focus on the basketball court. Fans will never stop voicing their opinions, and he cannot allow it to enter his psyche and distract him from getting back to the player we saw all last season.
