Spurs made offseason steal as Tobias Harris unlocks key to title roster

It was easy for the San Antonio Spurs' signing of Tobias Harris to fly under the radar, but he could be the missing piece to a championship. The thought that a 15-year NBA veteran who has played for seven teams could be a difference-maker for the Spurs seems a bit far-fetched, but hear me out.

The Spurs were thin at power forward last season but are actually deep at that position heading into next season.

Julian Champagnie, Harris, Harrison Barnes, and Carter Bryant, as needed, make up the Spurs' power forward rotation. Adding Harris to that group makes this roster make sense.

Spurs made offseason steal as Tobias Harris unlocks key to title roster

Yes, they may not be overly big at power forward, but they now have four 6-8 players, including Harris. Beyond having positional depth, Harris gives the Spurs more scoring.

He's a reliable 3-point and midrange shooter and can score in the post. He is also capable of defending the bigger players, seemingly making him the perfect fit on a Spurs team that needed more size and shooting.

Ironically, he is surprisingly similar to Barnes. Barnes is the better shooter between them, though Harris is a more versatile scorer. Harris also has more left in the tank despite having played 1,000-plus career games.

If the Spurs use Harris like I hope they will, he could be a weapon off the bench much in the same way that Rudy Gay was back in the day. San Antonio was gangbusters with their five-man starting lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Victor Wembanyama last season.

Tobias Harris is Spurs' missing piece to a championship

Breaking that lineup up should be the last thing they want to do. Instead, Harris should be tasked with adding scoring punch to the second unit.

A bench consisting of Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Tobias Harris, and Luke Kornet could really go places. Especially if San Antonio gives Harper the green light and has him play around 30 minutes per game off the bench.

Having Harris in the second unit as someone who can consistently score 10 points in a number of ways can't be understated.

Remember, San Antonio's bench was largely outplayed in the NBA playoffs, Harper aside. Having someone who can reliably score and has plenty of experience may not move the needle as much as adding an all-star.

Still, San Antonio came painfully close to winning a championship last season. If Harris makes them even 5% better, that could be more than enough to help them win it all next year.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow