Post by jhb on May 10, 2021 15:40:53 GMT -5
Tobias Harris
SF
6'8"
226
19
Tennessee
Another talented combo forward in a draft chock full of them, Harris has a TMBSL skillset and great basketball instincts. Excuse me if you've heard this before in this class but here we have a versatile forward with some some question about where he'll play at the next level because he lacks the size and length to play the power forward position and he isn't quite explosive and athletic enough to guard many TMBSL small forwards.
However, many scouts are high on Harris's upside because he's young relative to the other players similar to him in the class and they feel he has some reverse projection in his body because he still carries a fair amount of bad weight he could re-composition while becoming a more explosive and quick athlete. If he can do that, he likely has the requisite foot speed and lateral quickness to hold his own and keep from being a tremendous detriment to his team as a wing defender except against the very elite scorers and will have as much potential as any player in this class.
He will make up for some of his failings as a perimeter defender by being a tremendous help in the paint, as he has a knack for blocking some shots and he shows great instincts when defending wing players who attempt to post up in his area. He's actually a fairly good post defender as long as he isn't isolated against players with a significant size advantage. As a player who has spent a lot of time at the 4 in high school and even in college due to his thickness, he has fair instincts for rebounding and boxes out fairly well. If he sticks at the 3 in TMBSL, he'll likely be an asset in this area.
Offensively, he has a great feel for the game and he has tremendous ball-handling ability for a player his size. He has really good shooting mechanics and range out to the three point line, but he hasn't shown the results you'd expect from someone with mechanics as smooth as his to this point. He especially doesn't have a lot of confidence from distance yet. He'll need to improve that consistency so that he can truly capitalize on his ball-handling to blow past defenders trying to get up to contest his shots. Harris is thick in the shoulders and lower body and will have very good strength for a wing player if that's where he sticks; he should be able to finish through contact without issue. He has soft hands and excellent touch around the rim and a tremendous knack for moving off the ball to find opportunities with back-door cuts. He doesn't have a tremendously advanced low post game but if he sticks as a perimeter player he can do enough off the dribble drive to be a threat in the paint that will command some double teams.