DETROIT — When Tobias Harris signed with the Detroit Pistons in July 2024, he didn’t just want his second stint in the city to be more productive than the first. He wanted to compete for a championship.
It may have seemed far-fetched at the time, considering the Pistons were fresh off a 14-win season, but Harris believed it was possible. He saw potential in Detroit’s core of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. Once he met with J.B. Bickerstaff and experienced his energy and enthusiasm, he was sold.
Nearly two years after inking that deal, Harris has become an indispensable component of a Pistons team with serious sights on contention. Harris has a wealth of experience in the form of 2,819 playoff minutes spread across nine different postseason runs, more than anyone on Detroit’s roster. And it’s showing.
Harris is averaging 21.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals during these playoffs after the Pistons’ 107-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Thursday’s Eastern Conference semifinals. Harris being in the midst of one of his best postseason stretches is a main reason Detroit holds a 2-0 series lead over Cleveland.
Harris has seamlessly stepped into the second scorer role alongside Cunningham. He’s hit timely buckets, holds teammates accountable and aids Cunningham in powering the Pistons’ offense. But none of that would be possible without the inner peace Harris has achieved off the court.
“It’s an all-day thing. Meditation, staying in the moment, all self-progression type things,” Harris told The Athletic while strolling to the Little Caesars Arena family room to greet his loved ones. “It’s really about what you feed your mind on a daily basis. … If you don’t have peace within, all of the other stuff will be affected.
“I know I have peace within with what I’m doing out here, and that allows me to just go have fun. I see my son every day, and that’s just my reminder. He’s so young and doesn’t know about any of what’s going on. He’s always sleeping at the games, but I look at it like — he has fun all day, he smiles all day, I’m going to go out there and have fun.”
Harris has blossomed into a big brother figure for the bulk of the locker room, hence the “unc” nickname he’s been dubbed with. But he shares a special bond with Daniss Jenkins, who’s getting his first taste of playoff basketball and the obstacles that come with it. Jenkins credits Harris with helping him stay sharp mentally in his role behind Cunningham.
“That’s really my guy,” Jenkins said of Harris after his 14-point performance off the bench. “(It’s) all the little things. Just talking to me because it’s not easy playing behind the main guy when you’re in that position. So it’s just all the little things to keep my mental right. To stay with it and stay poised through all the ups and the downs.”
As close as Harris and Jenkins have become, Harris’ leadership extends past just the 24-year-old guard. Harris challenged the entire team once the Pistons fell into their 3-1 hole during the first round against the Orlando Magic. He said Detroit was being “a little too casual” and challenged his teammates to look themselves in the mirror and be better.
The Pistons have been on a five-game win streak since Harris’ comment. The reverence he’s earned in the locker room that allows him to call his team out at a postgame news conference derives from the bonds he’s established within it.
“They bring me a lot of life. I tell my wife all the time all the time, ‘I love being a part of this team, I love being with these guys.’” Harris said. “On the floor, off the floor, the communication, the way we all are friends, really. I’m the older guy, but I look at our team like life-long friends outside of hooping — that’s rare. I’ve played with a lot of guys. I’ve probably only called a few of them real friends.”
Part of Harris’ leadership style, though, focuses on empowering his younger counterparts in the process.
“My thing about leading is setting an example of how to work, how to take care of your body,” Harris said. “But I like to let these guys have their voice, because they are the next group of leaders for this team. When I’ve got to jump in and lock in on the focus level, I’ll say what I’ve got to say. But I’m all about, if it ain’t winning culture, I’m going to say something.”
Though Cunningham is the Pistons’ present and future as a leader and overall focal point, Harris has directly contributed to his growth, too.
“Man, he’s been great in a lot of ways,” Cunningham said of Harris after his 25-point, 10-assist double-double. “He’s shown me things, on and off the court — professionalism, ways to make my life easier and do my job more efficiently. On the court, he’s so versatile. We can put him in so many different spots.
“He can space us and shoot the 3, we can put him on the block and he goes and gets us one. We went to him a couple times, I think, early fourth quarter to go get us some buckets. Just the ability to put him in so many different spots at the four position is great for us. His professionalism and the way that he leads is just the cherry on top.”
The vision Harris saw for himself when returning to Detroit is coming to fruition. He’s played a vital role in the Pistons’ two-year turnaround since first suiting up last season. But the level he’s playing at now not only validates Detroit’s refusal to gauge interest in him at the trade deadline. It confirms he’s crucial to the Pistons’ hopes of contention.
“I’ve learned through the course of my career, like, how do you want to go down when it’s all said and done?” Harris said. “When I came here I’d achieved a lot of great things through the course of my career. I want to achieve a championship, and I want to be able to be at my best to do that. It’s about taking care of my body, taking advantage of the moment and being uber confident in everything I’m doing.”