The Philadelphia 76ers needed to find a wing scorer heading into the season and that guy has been Tobias Harris so far in recent games. In Tuesday night’s 97-92 win over the Denver Nuggets, Harris scored 20 points and dished out four assists along with seven rebounds and he made some big plays down the stretch.
Coach Brett Brown has said in the past that he would like Harris to have a scorer’s mentality and there was a stretch in Tuesday’s win where Harris began taking the game into his own hands.
“I think that we’re seeing that more and more and more,” said Brown. “When you ask ‘What are we trying to do down the stretch?’ he factors into some of the go-to guys we want to play through a lot. Whether we’re dropping him into the post, whether we’re playing him on a sideline pick-and-roll, or a little bit of iso, putting him in those types of environments, he has been good at and he did again tonight.”
Nonetheless, it’s all about making the right plays for Harris rather than taking over from an offensive perspective and that was the case for him on Tuesday.
“Just being able to make the right play,” said Harris. “It says a lot that coach has the trust in me to do that. A lot is expected through that. I thought tonight in the fourth quarter we were able to get some good looks where the ball was in my hands and it didn’t necessarily end with myself getting the shot, but us getting a good clean look.”
Tobias Harris on his role as one of the team’s go-to guys #Sixers pic.twitter.com/WwSfZtoRwu
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 11, 2019
The talent that this team possesses is a huge asset to them and it does not matter who takes the shots. Whoever ends up taking it is going to have a good chance of knocking it down.
“In the fourth quarter with the guys that we have, the talent that we have in our lineup, whoever does get the shot, it’s going to be a high percentage shot,” he added. “A couple of them didn’t fall tonight for us, but overall, that’s the position I want to be in and I’m excited for that and to continue to grow in that.”
The Sixers will now turn their attention to the Boston Celtics on the road on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=21056,21042,21027]