Tobias Harris’ secret weapon unlocks new dimension for the Spurs

Veteran forward Tobias Harris is the San Antonio Spurs' newest addition and is expected to give the team much-needed depth and spacing. In fact, an underrated Harris skill could bolster the Spurs' offense.

In addition to being a prolific 3-point shooter, having drilled more than 1000 career threes, Harris ranked as one of the best midrange shooters in the NBA last season.

That adds an intriguing wrinkle to the Spurs' offense since Devin Vassell was the only consistent midrange threat for them last season.

Being able to generate more high-percentage midrange shots might not be high on the fans' wish list, but it is a nice offensive wrinkle to have. After all, 3-point shooting can come and go, but shots at the rim and mid-range jumpers are more reliable forms of offense.

Tobias Harris' mid-range game makes him a more well-rounded offense player

Contrary to popular belief, Harris isn't just a 3-point shooter; he can score in the mid-range and even some in the post. That only increases his potential fit on the Spurs.

San Antonio signed him due to a lack of options at power forward. Yes, they have Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant, but Bryant may end up playing small forward and possibly even replacing Keldon Johnson in the lineup.

That increases the need for another true blue power forward, and Harris fits the bill. I don't expect him to start next season, but he will likely split the minutes at the four evenly with Champagnie aside from some two-center lineups.

Ironically, Harris has been compared to Spurs forward Harrison Barnes. The only notable difference is that Harris is about a year younger and still has more gas left in his tank.

Harrison Barnes serves as the Spurs' blueprint for how to use Harris

His arrival signals that Barnes will no longer be a part of the rotation and will strictly be a depth piece. Nevertheless, Barnes serves as a perfect blueprint for how the Spurs will use Harris.

He thrived as a sharp-shooting four who could feast on open threes and attack closeouts for easy baskets. Harris is perfectly capable of doing the same.

Although he isn't as good of a shooter as Barnes, I'd argue he may be a more versatile scorer. Perhaps a better comparison would be the Spurs-era Rudy Gay.

Tobias Harris could help bolster the Spurs' bench

Gay could hit open threes, score effectively in the mid-range, and attack mismatches in the post. The same could be said of Harris, and that presents an intriguing host of possibilities for San Antonio.

Outside of Johnson and Dylan Harper, San Antonio didn't have much offense to speak of in the second unit. That came back to bite them in the NBA Finals, with Johnson struggling and the Spurs having to rely more on Harper in the second unit.

Thus, bringing Harris off the bench could solve that problem while giving him the chance to show off an underrated skill.

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