Is it really worth it for Sixers fans to boo Tobias Harris?

Who are some of the most anticipated returning former Philadelphia athletes to the City of Brotherly Love? Terrell Owens coming back as a Cowboy to play against the Eagles stands out. But that was about two decades ago now.

When it comes to recent returnees, especially those involving former Sixers, there are quite a few. However, the ones most people would think of all come with certain asterisks. Ben Simmons has avoided playing in Philadelphia so many times since being traded to the Nets that it's difficult to even take him seriously. The Jimmy Butler situation was complicated because it was the team's decision to move on. Sure, James Harden was booed last season, but was he even a Sixer long enough for it to matter?

The return of a former Sixer to the Wells Fargo Center is once again the talk of the town, as Tobias Harris returns with the Pistons on Wednesday night. When I think of those regular season games on the calendar that fans circle around, I think of star players. I think of players who are so good that they can instantly change the trajectory of two franchises, the one they leave and the one they join. Whatever the reason, their exit from an organization turns ugly and so returning to the city where they once played is met with a boo from the home crowd. There may be no greater “rematch” in NBA history than LeBron’s first game in Cleveland with the Heat after “The Decision.”

I'm not saying every return game has to be LeBron's first game in Cleveland. This cannot be reproduced. But I think we can all agree that Harris' return to Philadelphia doesn't come close to being showered with boos from the home fans. One of the calling cards of Philadelphia sports fans is that they have high standards for their athletes and therefore have no problem booing their own when those performance standards aren't met. With that in mind, they've had plenty of time to boo Tobias Harris while he's underperformed over the last five seasons. I'd like to think this fan base is knowledgeable enough to realize that Harris was never going to be the difference this franchise needed. Once you admit that, it becomes much easier to move on.

Are the Sixers really worse off now that Harris is gone? I think almost every Sixers fan would argue the opposite. Are the Pistons better off now that they have Harris? Certainly not. The reason both teams' situations are largely unchanged and the Sixers' prospects look better without Harris is because he simply wasn't a driving factor to begin with. To reiterate, players who aren't very good and therefore won't be missed if they move on aren't worth booing when they come back.

When looking back on the time Harris spent in Philadelphia, perhaps the most important thing to remember is how he got here. Harris was in the midst of a career year with the Los Angeles Clippers when the Sixers acquired him during the 2018-19 season. Many believe that the Sixers team is one of, if not the best team they have assembled around Joel Embiid. The what-ifs surrounding the Kawhi shooting will continue as long as the Sixers are without a ring in the Embiid era.

The following offseason, Butler was traded to the Heat, and an inexperienced GM in Elton Brand, who didn't have Daryl Morey to lean on, panicked Harris and overpaid him. The five-year commitment to a player who had never made an All-Star team and still hasn't made it was always going to be doomed. This is especially true considering Harris was expected to play a larger role as Butler and other members of the starting lineup came and went in the coming years.

I think the best argument for booing Harris on Wednesday night is that it's one last chance to remind him that if he had simply played better with the Sixers, the team would have ended their conference finals drought currently lasts 24 years. But perhaps there is a reason why Harris has never played a key role for a team that has had playoff success. Maybe there's a reason for that: When his contract with the Sixers finally expired, the obvious destination was a place like Detroit, where he could rot and play for one of the NBA's worst teams and other contenders showed no interest.

Brand's mistake in the summer of 2019 to pay Harris was the fatal blow. Statistically speaking, Harris wasn't much different throughout his contract with the Sixers than he was before he arrived in Philadelphia. There's reason to be disappointed that Harris never raised his level with the Sixers, but Sixers fans have once again had five years to boo about it. That should have been enough to turn the page. Tobias Harris is now just another player on another bad team.