Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Under-Appreciated Player in Orlando Magic History
23. Tobias Harris (2013-16)
There have been several iconic game-winning baskets in the Orlando Magic’s 30-year history. None may be crazier than what happened Feb. 7, 2014.
The Magic were trailing by one point when the shot clock wound down and Kevin Durant got an open jumper. He missed it and there was a mad scramble for the rebound. Victor Oladipo was able to tip it ahead to himself and start a fast break as the clock wound to its end.
Victor Oladipo found Maurice Harkless under the basket. He wanted nothing to do with it even with little time on the clock. He shoveled the ball to Tobias Harris running down the center of the lane. He took it and rose in one motion for a dunk, thundering it home as the buzzer sounded.
It was an insane finish and one that lives on in the annals of Magic history. Tobias Harris will always have a place in Magic history for that moment.
But even on that team, Harris often got lost with the other promising young players on the team. Even though he was then and still is now one of the more promising young players and scorers in the league.
I think Tobias was under appreciated during his time here. Sure he was a ball stopper, but unlike Oladipo I think Tobias was going to always become the player he is now, wether in Orlando or not. Team traded him away for nothing.
— The Sixth Man Show (@SixthManShow) August 15, 2019
Harris was a scorer through and through with the Magic — scoring 15.6 points and grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game across four seasons.
But he was often relegated to the end of the discussion when it came to the team’s rebuild. The focus was still primarily on the players the team drafted in Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon and even Elfrid Payton. Harris was always the odd man out.
There was some frustration it seemed that Harris was not the clear go-to scorer his playstyle seemed to suggest. And there were always those questions of how he integrated with the group.
Orlando invested in Harris, signing him to a four-year deal after his rookie contract concluded. But then they seemingly changed course just as quickly.
Coach Scott Skiles clearly bristled with Tobias Harris’ playing style in the same way he did with Harris’ rookie year with the Milwaukee Bucks. And when the team was looking desperately to get back into the playoff race, Harris was the unfortunate casualty in a trade that was hard to justify at the time and is still hard to justify.
Harris got lost in the shuffle int he team’s never-ending rebuild. He was seemingly lost in the shuffle among the young guys the Magic already had.
With Harris shining with the LA Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers last year, he may be remembered as “Oh yeah, he did play for the Orlando Magic.”