DETROIT — As one of a handful of players who have epitomized the meaning of longevity in today’s NBA, Tobias Harris was on the verge of one of his best performances of the season.
He came out aggressive during the Detroit Pistons’ 128-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 30. Harris had set an early tone by scoring seven points within the first six minutes. After he substituted out for Isaiah Stewart at the 6:12 mark, Harris walked off the floor of Crypto.com Arena, which ultimately led to a five-game absence.
Harris had sustained a left hip sprain against the Lakers. He recently returned to the lineup during the Pistons’ two-day practice at Henry Ford Health Pistons Performance Center. Their recent four-day break was vital to his recovery.
“I had strained my hip joint, but I had a lot of stuff going on, even before that, I really wasn’t at 100%,” Harris said. “I needed to take some days off and heal up. I was able to do that, and I feel great now.”
His status against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday remains in question, but Harris stated that he is “ready to get back out there and get going.” Despite being hampered by some nagging injuries, Harris has still been productive in his 15th year in the league.
He has appeared in 23 out of a possible 38 games this season, averaging 13.4 points with 45.5% shooting and 4.6 rebounds. Earlier in the year, Harris was sidelined for nine consecutive games because of a high right ankle sprain. His injury came in the middle of the Pistons’ 13-game winning streak.
“It just takes time, and that is the hard part about the NBA season. You just don’t have a lot of time where you don’t have games,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “That’s why this period (the four-day break) was good for us. … There is treatment, and then how (the injury) responds. We have been really patient with our guys, but they have progressed in a positive direction.”
Harris was one of four injured players who returned to the practice court over the previous two days. He was joined by Stewart, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Stewart missed the previous game because of an illness, while a right wrist contusion forced Cunningham to miss each of the last two. Duren returned to practice after a right ankle sprain kept him out for four games.