They threw it away. They blamed him. They counted his money.

He improved his defense. He mentored his young teammates. He helped the Philadelphia community.

Tobias Harris was an easy target that was never fully caught 76ers fans, but left a lasting impression on his teammates and the community.

Sixers swingman ‘Pretty comfortable business-wise’ Kelly Oubre Jr. he said while describing Harris. “He’s dressed like this. He acts like this, very professional. You know, very sweet. You know what I mean? Tobias is a great guy, man.

“But the situation will be different on that field.”

” READ MORE: Tobias Harris scores 18 points against Philly, Detroit Pistons suffer a bad defeat to Sixers

That’s because Harris showed up at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night and wore a different uniform. The power forward is a key player for the Detroit Pistons. He focused on bringing the struggling series back into relevance.

His first goal was to help the Pistons get their first win of the season. But even with that Joel Embiid And paul george Ending Detroit’s winless streak tonight was going to be a tall order against the Sixers. So we thought.

The Pistons improved to 1-4, thanks in large part to Harris finishing with a season-high 18 points and 14 rebounds. 105-95 victory over his former team.

When discussing her return, Harris chose to keep it positive.

“It’s always nice to be back,” said Harris, who spent the last 5.5 seasons in Philadelphia. “I had never stayed at the hotel we stayed in before. A little different but nice. … Lots of memories. So many experiences. So I like to accept everything. But overall I’m happy to be back.”

Paul Reed, another Sixer-turned-Piston, had a more welcoming reception. Fans chanted “B Ball Paul” during a tribute video for Reed and Harris during the first intermission of the game. Harris, a player hated by Sixers fans throughout his tenure, was booed every time he touched the ball and entered the game during pregame introductions.

” READ MORE: Sixers’ takeaway: Rebounding and 3-point shooting woes were critical in the loss

“I think the reception has been wonderful,” he said. “Obviously there will be booing, obviously there will be people cheering. This is the case in every kind of reception. So I knew it wasn’t going to be a tearful moment, let me tell you, I knew it was coming.

In the eyes of Sixers fans, most of the booing had to do with his failure to fulfill the five-year, $180 million contract he signed on July 10, 2019.

Harris’ last impression was that he was kept goalless in his last game here. Sixers’ 118-115 loss to New York Knicks in Game 6 May 2 at Wells Fargo Center. The series-clinching defeat was the Sixers’ second first-round playoff loss in five seasons.

Harris, now in his 14th NBA season, finished the game with four rebounds and three assists while making only two shots. He posted a team-worst minus-10 in 29 minutes, 20 seconds. He was criticized for not being aggressive at some moments and becoming the invisible man.

Harris was criticized for being paid like an All-Star and not producing like an All-Star. Harris could help himself, especially in Game 6, by cutting to the basket and looking for his own shot at times. But at the same time, the 6-foot-1, 226-pounder wasn’t used like he was in Game 5 when he scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

That’s been the story of Harris’ tenure in Philly.

Come the 2024-25 season, Sixers fans who constantly boo him think it’s confirmed that Harris is struggling in Detroit. Harris averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block and 1.8 turnovers in Wednesday’s game. He shot just 34.1% from the field and 17.6% from three-point range.

But in the second half against the Sixers, Harris scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting to break out of a shooting slump.

Harris can play, and he always can. He wasn’t a good fit for what the Sixers wanted as a third or fourth option.

They had their best performance with Embiid last season. Tyrese Maxey excel their two player game. That left Harris as an afterthought on offense.

” READ MORE: Paul Reed had ‘some kind of feeling’ about leaving Sixers but is ready to start a new chapter with Detroit Pistons

The problem is that he is at his best with the ball in his hands. He is very successful in pick-and-roll games. Harris needs the ball to maintain his rhythm. Instead, here he was forced to play a variety of roles that did not highlight his strengths.

“It was tough,” Harris said. “But to be honest, that’s what was asked of me as a player. It may not have been the ideal role I wanted at the time. But it was what was asked of me by the team and the staff. It was something I had to adjust from time to time, and towards the end of last year I realized that was exactly the case.” .”

Harris realized he had to settle for a limited role. He had to “weather the storm” and find ways to be productive. Once he started doing that, the stress on him as a player was greatly reduced.

“But overall it wasn’t easy,” he said. “It was not an easy experience. But like I said, it’s something that I’ve grown and learned and honestly gotten into this new situation with these guys, and I’m extremely fortunate to be a part of a great group of young guys on this team. great staff.

“I’m taking everything I’ve learned about my career into this opportunity.”

It’s no surprise that Harris’ best memory with the Sixer was off the court.

He is most proud of his social impact initiatives in the Philadelphia area. The biggest disappointment was not advancing beyond the second round of the play-offs.

“There are very high expectations for a very good group,” he said of his tenure. “Different coaching staffs, different rosters, but overall I felt like we had enough talent to make things happen every year.

“We just didn’t come together. But that’s the nature of sports sometimes.”