The James Harden era has gotten off to a solid start for the Philadelphia 76ers. They have won all three games with their new group. Granted, two of those wins came against the struggling New York Knicks, but they are three wins nonetheless.
While Harden, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have played well together, one player has struggled: Tobias Harris.
Harris was better on Wednesday when he shot 5-for-10 and 2-for-3 from deep for 14 points in the win over the Knicks, but he got off to another slow start, and the Sixers need him to give more out on the floor. This comes after he shot 2-for-9 in the first game with Harden and 3-for-9 in the second game.
His spotty play could be a reason league executives already believe the Sixers will look into Harris trades in the offseason. Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on his podcast, “The Hoop Collective”:
I’ve talked to league league executives because I’m asking league executives a lot about Philly, and everybody’s just seeing them for a brief period of time, but they’re already speculating what Tobias Harris trades they might look at this summer, because Tobias is especially if Maxey is going to be this type of offensive option…how Tobias fits in, what his role is, and then what they decide to do with him in the offseason is going to be very interesting, but I would say 10 days from now, we’re going to have a real good test on where Philly is.
Maxey has averaged 24.6 points playing next to Harden and it looks like he has overtaken Harris as the No. 3 option on this team. Considering the money Harris makes and the fact that he has not yet found a groove playing next to The Beard, it appears Harris’ time in Philadelphia could come to an end in the summer.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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