Tobias Harris goes up to battle up to win the first node of a full-star game

Tobias Harris is in the middle of a career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He gets an average of 20.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists while slowing down 51.8 / 42.6 / 90.0, almost all of which would be new personal items for him.

It may still not be enough for him to earn his first All-Star Game nod.

As Harris enjoys an All-Star-caliber season, the Eastern Conference faces stiff competition. As coaches select the seven sources in each conference, he must bank on them as a reward for team success over an individual product.

Heading into Friday, the 19-10 Sixers have a one-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets for No. 1 seed in the East. The Milwaukee Bucks (16-13) and Indiana Pacers (15-14) sit three and four games behind the Sixers, respectively.

Harris has played a big part in that. The Sixers outscore opponents 5.8 points per 100 possessions along the floor, while gaining 2.4 per 100 when off. The plus-8.2 difference on / off is the third highest on the team, just slowing down Joel Embiid and Seth Curry.

“I play the best basketball of my career,” Harris told NBA.com’s Shaun Powell about possibly getting an All-Star goal. “So it would mean a lot, that the work that I put in, the appropriate time and diligence that I put into the game and my body and a good team player and player, pays off. I play at that level regularly. It would be great to get a reward for that. “

While that lays the foundation for a credible All-Star issue, Harris may end up falling into a numbers game.

Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant picked up the starting three spots in the eastern court. At most, that leaves five front court spots – three repositories and two “wildcards” – one of the wildcards may go on guard.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is a clever lock to grab one of those front court nods. He averages 25.8 points high on 44.9 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals for the fifth-ranked Celtics 14-14 team in the East. Celtics swingmaker Jaylen Brown should be an All-Star lock as well, though he’s listed at guard on the fan’s ballot, so he may not be included in the court mix face.

Miami heat center Bam Adebayo, who won his first All-Star node last season, is another All-Star lock in similar appearances. He gets an average of 19.8 high points on a 57.1 percent shot to go with 9.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals, and the main reason is the heat injured (12-17) still within incredible distance of the playoff race.

If Tatum and Adebayo sign up, that leaves three front court spots for Harris, Indiana Pacers great Domantas Sabonis, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic and Milwaukee Bucksman Bucks Khris Middleton, among others. Of these five, Harris ran last in measures such as PER (19.7), won shares (3.0), box plus / minus (2.8) and value over a substitute player (1.1), although he is second. only to Middleton in real firing percentage (.615).

Harris’ saving grace may be the lukewarm treat across the league to get an All-Star Game in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic.

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about this year’s All-Star Game,” Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James told reporters last week. “I don’t even understand why we have an All-Star Game.”

“The big dog says he has no energy at all and zero energy for the All-Star Game, and I do,” Antetokounmpo told reporters one day after James’ comments. “Of course right now I’m not worried about the All-Star Game. We can’t see our families.”

The Sacramento Guard De’Aaron Fox guard was even warmer.

“I’m going to be honestly brutal, I think it’s silly,” Fox told reporters. “If we have to wear masks and do this for a regular game, what is it like to bring the All-Star Game back?”

However, he noted that healthy players who choose not to play in the All-Star Game are against a “big fine,” so he would play if selected.

Embiid wasn’t so sure about how to deal with his inevitable All-Star nod.

“We’ll see,” he told reporters last week. “I mean, we’ve had a long season. I missed a game or two because of a tight setback from the fall against the Lakers. So let’s see how it feels. If that’s the case or if I’m not 100 percent, I aim to win a competition and make the playoffs healthy. “

If any player misses the All-Star Game due to injuries or Covid-19 protocols, he will open another place. Considering how many stars have become suspicious of the trip to Atlanta, don’t be surprised if a swarm of knee, back and ankle “injuries” come around the league in early March.

That’s probably Harris ’best bet for making his All-Star Game debut, as it’s hard to make his case about the likes of Middleton, Sabonis, Randle and Vucevic in terms of individual production.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats through NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the glass no Basketball reference. All salary information through Spotrac.