The Philadelphia 76ers are a team led by the talented star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but there is another player in that starting lineup who gets a lot of money and he is a guy who needs to step up when the time calls for it.
That would be Tobias Harris who is the highest-paid player on the team. He had not produced at the level the team expected in the past and the hope is that under new coach Doc Rivers, he can get back to the player he was with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He had himself a terrific night on Saturday scoring 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting and he knocked down four triples in a 127-112 win over the Charlotte Hornets at home. It has continued his strong play as of late as he has now scored over 20 points in three straight games.
“It’s been great,” beamed Rivers. “You can see it. I think he had one play and he actually scored on it which I almost didn’t want him to with the ISO he had yet late in the game, because that’s what we don’t want really, we like his quick action play. He’s making quicker decisions. He knows where guys are at when he goes, so he’s been deep in actions where we want him.”
He was working hard on both ends of the floor as he also came up with four steals and three blocks on the defensive end. That is an area that he has consistently improved in and worked hard at during his time in Philadelphia and it has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“When I see him doing that, that motivates everybody to continue doing their job,” said Simmons who had his first triple-double of the season. “When Tobias came here defensively, he wasn’t where he is now and he stepped it up. Now he’s getting a lot of steals, he’s getting hands in the lanes, blocking shots, he’s made a huge leap from the past year to now, defensively.”
Harris will be the X-Factor for this team this season. They already know what the two stars will bring to the floor, but Harris has to be the third scorer for them. He has to be the guy who can step in and provide on the offensive end to help them thrive.
“On both sides of the ball offensively and defensively, he’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing factor for our team and he’s gonna be if we want to win a championship.”
The Sixers will host the Hornets again on Monday to complete the two-game home series.
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