The Philadelphia 76ers will not see James Harden play for them until after the upcoming All-Star break, but he has been able to get some work done with the team as he has been able to practice and get a shootaround in with his new squad.
He was also officially introduced on Tuesday as he and the Sixers can now move forward with their quest to win a championship. Harden stated that he always wanted to be in Philadelphia so now this is his chance to show why he wanted to be with the Sixers.
While it seems like Harden’s fit next to Joel Embiid will be a near-perfect fit, there is a chance he can also enhance the game of Tobias Harris. The veteran out of Tennessee has had an up and down season, but with a playmaker like Harden, he can get back into a serious groove on offense.
“Tobias is a guy who can go get you 20 a night,” Harden stated. “I feel like it’s my job to get that out of him. He’s very versatile as well. My job is to help be the leader, man, push guys, and get that swagger out of guys every single night because ultimately, that’s going to help us get to the end goal and that’s to win a championship.”
Harris will undoubtedly give up shots in order to ensure Harden gets his looks as the team moves forward with a new pecking order, but Harden’s playmaking skills can also get Harris some really easy looks on the offensive end of the floor.
James Harden on his potential fit next to Tobias Harris on offense #Sixers pic.twitter.com/wb5ZHgjMi2
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 15, 2022
“It’s got to be about winning,” said coach Doc Rivers at practice on Monday. “Like it really does. Everyone’s gonna give up shots, including James, to win and if you really want to win as a group, then that’s not a hard process. As a coach, you got to find out who it matters to and who it doesn’t matter to and that’s who you play.”
Over his previous 13 games, Harris is averaging 21.1 points while shooting 56.6% from the floor and 51.5% from deep so playing next to Harden should make those numbers stay the same.
“We all know how great of a talent Tobias is, but it’s my job to help him with that,” Harden added. “From top to bottom.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=59894]
[lawrence-related id=60152,60130,60139]