Spurs' scoring drought is exactly where Tobias Harris can provide value to their offense

There were plenty of disappointing moments in the San Antonio Spurs' opening-night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and one of the most glaring was an ugly second-quarter scoring drought. This rough stretch kept them clawing back from behind for the rest of the game and further proved just how much value Tobias Harris could provide as an offensive safety valve in these situations.

The Spurs' acquisition of Harris wasn't the most popular move of the summer, but it addressed a serious need. Having a proven veteran scorer could help them avoid the offensive cold spells that haunted them in the NBA Finals and in the rematch against their biggest Western Conference rival.

Tobias Harris was brought here to provide instant offense

Harris has been in the NBA for 15 years and has been a double-digit scorer for most of that time. He's as stable a scorer as you'd ever find at his position, finding ways to get buckets off the dribble and coming off the ball to capitalize on his teammates' gravity.

The veteran forward has also proven that he can coexist with elite offensive players, sharing the court with stars like James Harden, Joel Embiid, and Cade Cunningham. So it's nothing for him to fit into the Spurs' system and find his rhythm while allowing Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and others to do their thing.

This unique skill set is exactly what this team needed to work itself out of that second-quarter slump against the Thunder. He would've been another option to attack and finish in the paint while providing solid floor spacing and three-point shooting.

He made 36.8% of his long-range attempts last season, and the Spurs needed every bit of his expertise in that area as they severely struggled to convert from beyond the arc. They only drained 27% of their attempts, and it's pretty difficult to win basketball games against elite teams when shooting like that.

Harris won't fix everything, but he makes life easier

While Harris will help the Spurs avoid some of the issues they had on opening night, he won't solve everything. Their guard trio of Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle still need to hit their threes. Wemby must do a better job getting to his spots and working against big, physical defenders. Keldon Johnson has to make smarter decisions off the bench.

Those issues still need to be addressed even when Harris is available. If the Spurs want to get off to a hot start on the season- especially with their tough schedule - other things need to come into play alongside his availability.

Obviously, there's a lot of basketball left, so hold onto your overreactions. But if this team wants to continue dominating the Western Conference, they need to improve in the areas where they struggled last season. Harris' return will help them avoid those scoring ruts.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow