PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-5, a start nobody saw coming from such a talented team. But James Harden, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris have had a tough time finding any rhythm.
Now that Harden will miss a month due to a right foot tendon strain, the Sixers need somebody to step up and provide more offense. Of course, Philadelphia will rely more on Embiid and Maxey, but Harris will have to get some more looks within the offense.
Harris is shooting 44.9% from deep on 5.4 attempts per game, but he is taking only 10.7 shots overall. With Harden out, he will need to give more on offense.
“It’s big for us,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He came back in and made a shot. He obviously has to get used to the most on our team to not touching the ball as much as he has in the past. I really think he’s trying to do that. He’s catching and shooting pretty well. We still want to feature him in the post when he has a matchup. I thought we got a little bit out of that in the first half. So he’s been great.”
Rivers is right. Harris was one of Philadelphia’s top offensive options in the past before the emergence of Maxey and the addition of Harden. Now that Harden is out, this is an opportunity for Harris to take a step forward within the offense.
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