AUBURN HILLS – Stan Van Gundy knew Tobias Harris was less than ecstatic about his removal from the starting lineup last season, but the Pistons coach was beyond appreciative it was never reflected in his body language – or his productivity.
In fact, Harris flourished as Pistons sixth man. In four minutes less per game off the bench, Harris actually posted a higher scoring average (16.5 to 15.9) and shot better (.503 to .465) than he did as a starter.
It’s rare for any player to prefer to begin games with his warmups still in place, but ask Harris what role he’d prefer to start his second full season with the Pistons and you won’t get very far.