Tobias Harris takes responsibility for ‘frustrating’ shooting slump: ‘A bad stretch for me as a player’

BOSTON — Tobias Harris surely hoped an early possession would foreshadow his Tuesday performance against the Celtics, when the 76ers’ standout forward cut toward the basket, took a feed from Buddy Hield, and converted through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play.

Instead, a clunky stretch later in the first quarter was more indicative of how a horrific night would unfold. After Harris could not finish a wide-open look underneath the basket — and Nico Batum and Tyrese Maxey failed on second-chance opportunities after securing offensive rebounds — the ball wound up back in Harris’ hands. His open baseline jumper barely grazed the front of the rim.

Harris ended a losing night 5-for-19 from the floor for 13 points, continuing his shooting slump out of the All-Star break. This cold spell is particularly glaring given the tumbling state of his team, and his status as an experienced contributor with a lucrative salary. The Sixers are searching for complementary — and consistent — offense while in the midst of 12 losses in their last 16 games, as reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid remains sidelined following knee surgery.

» READ MORE: Sixers unable to solve Boston, even with a 32-point outburst from All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey

And after Tuesday’s flop, Harris took responsibility for “a bad stretch for me as a player.”

“You’ve still got to take those looks,” Harris said from his locker inside TD Garden, “be confident with them, and stick to your work and stick to everything that has gotten you up to this point. It’s frustrating, but at the end of the day, I’m going to battle through it and figure out ways to be better.”

Harris refused to blame his personal skid on a hip issue that kept him out of the Sixers’ final two games before the All-Star break, saying, “I don’t make any excuses. If I’m out there playing, then I’m ready to go and I’m able to bring my best for the team.”

But the numbers, and the eye test, are ugly.

Harris has connected on 17 of his 53 shots in his last four games. He has had problems at the rim, such as when he whiffed on a fast-break layup attempt in the opening minute of Tuesday’s third quarter. He has struggled to sink jumpers off the dribble and off the catch, other than a crucial three-pointer Tuesday that briefly cut Boston’s lead to 91-89 midway through the fourth quarter.

In recent games, some defenders have been content to leave Harris open as part of their defensive scheme or while assessing in-the-moment individual matchups. And Harris was booed and heckled by home fans during Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, a periodic occurrence throughout his Sixers tenure because of a belief by outsiders that he is not worthy of his hefty five-year, $180 million contract that is now in its final season.

Legitimate critiques of Harris’ game exist. But his shooting efficiency has been a strength throughout his career. He flirted with a 50/40/90 season in 2020-21. Before Tuesday’s stinker, he had connected on 49.9% of his attempts from the floor this season.

Harris also was not solely responsible for the Sixers’ 39.4% shooting Tuesday, or the fact that they failed to reach 100 points for the third time in four games since the All-Star break. Fellow starters Kelly Oubre Jr. (1-for-6), Paul Reed (0-for-3) and Hield (2-for-8) also had poor outputs, which were not enough to supplement All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey’s 32 points.

» READ MORE: Sixers unable to solve Boston, even with a 32-point outburst from All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey

Yet coach Nick Nurse noted the Sixers also needed more ball movement and rebounding against the Celtics, indirectly drawing attention to Harris — who often contributes in several statistical categories — finishing with zero assists and two rebounds. Harris added that his team is still installing some new sets and concepts to create space for open looks, with a bevy of new lineup possibilities after adding Hield, Kyle Lowry, and Cameron Payne at the trade deadline and reintegrating the previously injured Batum and De’Anthony Melton.

“In the season, you only have so many days to practice,” Harris said. “So [we have] kind of been putting stuff in on the fly that I think tonight we saw some good progress on. Some basketball movement side-to-side and getting some good looks, so we’ve just got to stay at it.”

Added Nurse: “You can’t force it. You want to be aggressive. But if things aren’t there, you’ve got to move it on to the next man.”

Harris described his process to snap out of slumps as going “back to the basics.” He will watch film and compare the types of attempts he is getting now compared to earlier this season.

And he has vowed to remain confident, even amid the frustration bubbling late Tuesday.

“I’ll figure out ways to battle through this,” Harris said, “and work my way out on the other side of it, like I always do. I’m not worried. … At the end of the day, I’ll take all of those same shots again, those same looks.

“Just got to make them. That’s what it comes down to.”