“It takes three things to be a ‘special’ player: talent, character, and competitive fire.” — Kevin Eastman
The Heart Of A Team Leader
- Playing To Lead
- Pulls The Team Together:
- A team leader knows each teammate’s strengths and weaknesses, stays calm and focused under pressure, and sets an example for others
- “The strength of the group is the strength of the leaders.” — Vince Lombardi
- Always Optimistic:
- A team leader is encouraging and optimistic, shares the credit, and keeps the team upbeat and positive
- “How good can we expect to be if our best player is not our best teammate?” — Brad Stevens
- Sets An Example:
- A team leader creates lofty goals, works hard to meet them, and expects the same from the their teammates
- Sets An Example:
- “Earn your leadership every day.” — Michael Jordan
A leader plays for the team, not his own glory
- With Tobias on the floor,
- 76er Offense: 110.1
- Opponent Defense: 102.9
- Without Tobias on the floor
- 76er Offense: 106.0
- Opponent Defense: 108.7
- Of all the 5 man combos he’s played with, just 2 in 10 have been outscored
- With Tobias on the floor,
- Beyond The Game
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” — John Wooden
“His overall game has gotten better, his shot selection, his range,” Colangelo said “He has kind of built his game out, his platform out, kind of as an all- around player. He just has made great progress and, again, qualifies accordingly.”
– Jerry Colangelo
- A Team Leader Cares
- About teammates
- “I’m just trying to do whatever the team needs at any given time.” — Kobe Bryant
- About the game
- “I love seeing my teammates succeed. That’s what I get more excited about than anything” — LeBron James
- About the community
- “I want every young kid that sees me on Instagram to know that I’m continuing to educate myself and for them to know that books are a big part of my life” — Tobias Harris
- About the game
- Often Overlooked
- A team leader has qualities that go beyond stats and skills — and might not be recognized by casual observers
- “I knew he was a good player. We didn’t know how good. He’s just so efficient offensively. He’s a way better shooter, even though all the numbers said he was. You just don’t see that he is. He’s better off the dribble. Terrific post game . . . So he’s a really, really good basketball player.” — Doc Rivers
- A leader finds success wherever he goes
- At only age 27, Tobias Harris has played for 5 NBA teams in 9 seasons
- Why so many? Harris himself says it’s because he’s often underestimated:
- “[T]hey get surprised by how much better you get, they’ll be like, ‘Oh wait, I didn’t know you were going to get that much better.’ For me, I take that as a compliment. This is what I work for every single day.”
- A team leader has qualities that go beyond stats and skills — and might not be recognized by casual observers
[Call Out: “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” — Larry Bird]
The Skills Of An All-Star: Tobias Harris
[Call Out: “A man’s character is his fate.” — Heraclitus]
- Always Improving:
- Improved points per game in every season
- Improving defense
- Improving 3 pointers
Year | 3 point average |
2011-12 | 26.1% |
2012-13 | 31.5% 33.3% 31.0% |
2013-14 | 25.4% 36.4% 33.5% |
2014-15 | 36.4% |
2015-16 | 33.5% 31.1% 37.5% |
2016-17 | 34.7% |
2017-18 | 41.1% 40.9% 41.4% |
2018-19 | 39.7% 43.4% 32.6% |
2019-20 | 35.6% |
While Harris’s current season 3 point average isn’t near his career high. This season average is 25.6% and climbing (Excluding his 0/11 flu game it’s 37.8%)
- Versatile Skills:
- Tobias is almost equally valuable when he has the ball, and when he doesn’t
- 37.8% on-ball creation
- 23% off-ball spacing
- Versatile Skills:
- 80+ games per season in each of the last 3 seasons
- 82 games played (2016 – 2017)
- 80 games played (2017 – 2018)
- 82 games played (2018 – 2019)
- “He [Tobias] plays with just a tremendous amount of grace.There is sort of a quiet assassin that just sort of moves. … I really enjoy communicating with him about aspects in the flow of a game. He’s all eyes … and respectful. I just really enjoy coaching him” – Brett Brown Philadelphia 76ers coach
- Last 30 games Stats:
- 20.7 Points (15.7*)
- 6.2 Total Rebounds (6.0*)
- 3.0 Assists (2.0*)
- 49.5% Field Goal % (47.1*)
- 55.3% Effective Field Goal % (52.2*)
- 40% 3-Point Field Goal % (36.3*)
*Career Stats
More than points
Skill Alone Isn’t Enough
- “GOAT athletes live and die by the routines they establish” — Scoop Jackson]
- On Harris’ improvement, Van Gundy said, “He’s a guy who is an extremely hard worker with a great deal of pride who’s always trying to get better. He’s not somebody who walks around and thinks he’s arrived or thinks he’s done enough.”
– Stan Van Gundy
The Habits Of A Champion
- Self-Motivated: First one at practice and one of the lasts to leave — going all out every minute during games and in practice
- “The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” — Bob Knight
- Embraces Mistakes: Learns from their mistakes but doesn’t dwell on them, and expects the same from their teammates
- “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” — Michael Jordan
- Self-Care: Knows their limits and takes steps to make sure they stay at their best — Going to be early, monitoring their heart rate, and more
- “The thing I talk about is sleep. I think in a couple years, [sleep deprivation] will be an issue that’s talked about, like the NFL with concussions.” — Tobias Harris
- “Tobias Harris. Yeah, just the way he works, and he just loves and enjoys the game of basketball.” — James Harden“Harris seemed to stand out for these past two games.
He appeared to be impactful on both ends of the floor. From hitting fadeaway jumpers to cleaning up the glass for easy put-backs, he seemed determine to make a name for himself among the players assembled.”
[which included James Harden]
– Sam Yip
Reporter covering 2018 Men’s
National Team MinicampHe’s got the habits, it’s time for the action.
Vote for Tobias Harris to join the 2020 All-Star team.