Magic's Tobias Harris: 'I want to have a great 3-point shot'
The Orlando Magic are betting big on forward Tobias Harris with the reported four-year, $64 million contract Harris signed this offseason. And he knows that the pressure is on to become the best player he can be. For Harris, that's meant extensive work on his jump shot this summer, which he hopes will lead to wins for Orlando.
Harris told the Magic's official team site that he got some advice from former NBA veteran Chuck Person, who told him that his release was way too slow to be a viable shooter in the league. And it's not as if Harris is working from scratch; he shot 36.4 percent on 239 3-point attempts in 2014-15. But Person also stressed the mental aspect of being a shooter to Harris:
"He just wants me shooting in one quick motion," Harris continued. "He’s still got a little swagger like when he played. He told me and my brother, 'You’ve got to step into the gym on fire.' That’s a good mindset to have as a shooter and I think it’s something that will help me."
"You’ve always got to keep working," Harris added. "I could have sat back this summer and said, 'Hey, I have a pretty decent 3-point shot,' but my mindset is that I want to have a great 3-point shot,’’ Harris said. "My biggest thing is, 'How can I help this team?'"
The Magic are a unique young team, in that the burden of 3-point shooting will largely come from the forward, at least until Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton are able to threaten defenses with their perimeter shooting. That outside-in approach from the frontcourt makes a lot more sense if Harris becomes a knockdown shooter. And it sounds as if he's well on his way to doing whatever the Magic need him to do.
