Tobias Harris has picked the perfect time to play arguably the best basketball of his career.

The 33-year-old forward has now scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive postseason games for the Detroit Pistons, dating back to their first-round comeback against the Orlando Magic after falling behind 3–1. His latest 20-point showing came in Game 2 of Detroit’s second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he finished with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 37 minutes.

Detroit beat Cleveland, 107–97, to take a 2–0 series lead, and Harris was once again a major reason why they pulled off the win.

This brilliant scoring stretch is tied for the longest 20-point run of Harris’ NBA career, either in the regular season or playoffs. What makes this run even more remarkable is that he did not score 20 points in back-to-back games once during the 2025-26 regular season. Now, he has more 20-point games than any non-guard in the league in these playoffs.

For a Pistons team that leans heavily on Cade Cunningham to create offense, Harris’ jump in production has been invaluable. He is Detroit’s second-leading scorer this postseason behind Cunningham, averaging 21.3 points, eight rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks. Those numbers are a major improvement from his regular season averages of 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks.

Detroit badly needed someone to emerge as a dependable secondary scoring option, and Harris has answered that call.

This is his ninth postseason, but his current run is his best playoff stretch statistics-wise since 2021, when he averaged 21.8 points across 12 games for the Philadelphia 76ers. 

The difference with this current run is the context. Harris is no longer merely a high-end role player as he was with the Sixers. With the Pistons, he has become a secondary star and veteran leader who has taken on the responsibility of guiding a young Pistons group that is trying to make a deep playoff run for the first time in almost two decades.

The leadership that he provides matters just as much as his scoring contributions. Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and several other key Detroit players are participating in the second round for the first time in their young careers. Among the players on the Pistons’ roster, only Harris and Duncan Robinson have been here before. He understands the dynamics of playoff basketball, and his assertiveness has given Detroit a steadying presence it would have otherwise lacked.

Harris’ strong play has helped pushed Detroit and they are now only two wins away from the conference finals, though the series shifts to Cleveland for the next two games. There is still plenty of work left to do, but the Pistons are clearly in control of this series.

With his recent play, it has become imperative for the Pistons to keep Harris around long term. The 15-year veteran will become a free agent this offseason, and Detroit should do everything it can to make that happen.

He has become too important to what this team is building, both on and off the floor.

For the first time in ages, the Pistons have real championship aspirations. Harris may not be the face of that rise, but he has become one of its most important pieces.