Tobias Harris Remains Dedicated to Coming Back Better for Sixers

Veteran forward Tobias Harris just wrapped up his best season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. When the former first-round pick arrived in Philly during the 2018-2019 season midway through the year, the former Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter was having himself a career year under Doc Rivers.

But when Harris linked with former Sixers head coach Brett Brown, things changed. Many chalked Harris' second-half season regression up to the veteran not getting his feet wet in Philly quick enough. However, Harris still struggled in the playoffs for the Sixers that year too.

The Sixers weren't quite ready to give up on their major trade acquisition. Instead, they gambled on Harris and offered him a max contract during the 2019 offseason. Harris had a decent first full season with the Sixers but didn't quite live up to the expectations, considering how much he got paid.

And when the playoffs rolled around, Harris was once again disappointing. After playing under Brett Brown for about a season and a half, Harris got his old coach back. Doc Rivers, the man who was responsible for getting the best version of Tobias Harris out of him, was hired by the Sixers.

Once again, Harris was back on track to having a career year. Although he didn't quite crack the All-Star game like he expected to, Harris' positive contributions were a huge boost in 2020-2021 as he helped the Sixers lock in the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

In addition to having a stellar regular season, Harris also shined in the first round of the playoffs against the Washington Wizards. Just as everybody believed the tides were truly turning for the borderline All-Star who had something to prove, he had a rough few performances down the stretch in the second round against the Atlanta Hawks.

Harris isn't the only Sixer to struggle in that series, and he's far from the reason why the 76ers lost to Atlanta. However, the veteran forward is using the struggles as motivation and vows to come back much better in 2021-2022.

"Philadelphia, I know you deserve better," Harris wrote via Instagram. "We will be better, and we will bring this city what it deserves. A Championship. I promise to be better on and off the court. I’ll be in the lab, working to make this team better, to take my game to the next level, and to make myself better, night in and night out."

Following last Sunday's Game 7 loss in Philly, the Sixers had no choice but to look forward to next season already. While the defeat was a tough pill to swallow for many Sixers players who thought they could be championship-bound, Harris is taking the loss to the chin and using it as motivation to come back better next year.  

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.