The Philadelphia 76ers are playing some good basketball lately. They have won three in a row, and Tobias Harris is a big reason: He has scored 20 or more points in each of those games. He also had an impressive stat line against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
This has come after a tough start in which he shot 3-for-13 on opening night against the Washington Wizards. Some had the “here we go again” feeling with Harris as he had not yet played to his max contract status. However, his play lately should give the team hope for their future success.
“Offensively, coach has done a great job of getting him in his spots,” said Matisse Thybulle. “We’ve got good space and he’s playing with a high level of aggression, shooting the ball great. I think a lot of confidence is there with him and it shows.”
This is all a good thing for Philadelphia. Coach Doc Rivers has been working with Harris on making quicker decisions, and his play has become a bit of an X-factor as the team moves forward. The best part about Harris’ game right now is he shooting a blistering 51.7% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per NBA Stats.
“I just think he’s playing at a high level right now,” Thybulle added. “It just proves his work ethic and his approach to the game, and it’s showing coaches are continuing to put him in great positions. We’re finding him in the spots that he wants to be in, and he’s just continuing to follow up and do his job and knock shots down and make plays.”
Then, there’s the defensive end where Harris continues making strides. He had four steals and three blocks in Saturday’s win and even Ben Simmons acknowledged he has improved greatly on that end of the floor. The improvement on that end comes from a lot of hard work in the offseason.
“Then defensively, he’s always been, since I’ve known him, he’s been trying to grow,” Thybulle added. “This has gone back to the offseason watching him do defensive slides and cones with no defender just trying to get to grow that aspect of his game. I think we’re now seeing it on the court.”
The Sixers will host the Hornets again on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. EST.
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