Pistons’ Tobias Harris: ‘Detroit always had a place in my heart’

Before the Detroit Pistons overhauled their front office and coaching staff this offseason, rumors circulated that Tobias Harris could be a potential free-agent target for the franchise. As it turns out, the rumors were true.

Harris officially signed a two-year deal for a second stint with the Pistons several days ago. But the $52 million question is why. Why were the Pistons so adamant about bringing Harris back? And for Harris, what made returning to a 14-68 team a priority?

Simply put, and to be super cliché, home is where the heart is. For Harris, that place is Detroit. He elaborated on this during the NBA TV broadcast of the Pistons’ Summer League game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

“Detroit always had a place in my heart from the time that I was there,” Harris said. “Originally I met my wife (Jasmine) in Detroit, so that’s where she’s from. And for me it was an opportunity to be a part of a young group that has taken the right steps in the right direction to really turn this thing around. And that meant a lot for me and I was excited for a new chapter.”

Harris’ second stint with the Pistons carries responsibilities similar to his first: helping to turn things around. The Pistons needed a scorer who could improve their spacing, and Harris provides that.

However, during his first run in Detroit, the Pistons viewed Harris as a potential face of the franchise before being trading him to the Los Angeles Clippers in a multi-player deal centered around acquiring Blake Griffin.

Now heading into his 14th season, Harris will enter a young Pistons locker room in a leadership role, being the savvy—and relatively healthy—veteran the franchise sorely needs. This time, he won’t be looked at as a potential face of the franchise—that responsibility lies with the $224 million man, Cade Cunningham.

Under new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, the Pistons are determined to transform the franchise’s culture and revive the essence of Detroit Pistons basketball. Harris has shared vision for achieving this goal. When he sees the young core comprising Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and newcomers Ron Holland II and Bobi Klintman, he recognizes their potential to succeed and views it as his responsibility to mentor and elevate them.

“It’s our daily habits,” Harris said. “I think with the new staff, with the young talent we have, and more importantly, with the characteristics of the guys that we have. I’ve just been around for a few days and just seeing the work ethic, seeing the eagerness to learn is huge.

“And for me just to come in, be a vet voice for all these guys on and off the floor, and conduct ourselves as professionals and give our fans, our passionate fans, a show every single night we step on the floor.”

While Harris is enjoying his summer on the sunny West Coast with his family and dog, he has taken time to connect with younger teammates like Cunningham, joining their workouts to experience their energy firsthand. During Tuesday’s game, he was seen sitting next to Cunningham and the newest Piston, Paul Reed, who, like Harris, comes to Detroit after a stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“To be the best leader that I can be for this group and to make sure that every guy on this team reaches their potential and their ability,” Harris said. “That’s the biggest goal for me going into year 14. I’ve had a lot of experience in this league and one of the most satisfying things is seeing the youth and the young guys in this league come up. And for us, it’s just figuring out how good we can be as a group and have the best type of team chemistry and team flow.”

In 70 games last season in Philadelphia, Harris was the third leading scorer for the 76ers behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He averaged 17.2 points on 48.7% shooting from the field and 35% from three-point range. He also chipped in 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.