Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris has drawn the ire of the fan base in the City of Brotherly Love as they have been upset with his shooting numbers and his up and down play.
After a near All-Star season in 2021 where he shot 51.2% from the floor and 39.4% from deep while averaging 19.5 points, those numbers have dropped to 46.1% from the floor and just 31.6% from deep. It seems that he has been impacted the most by the absence of Ben Simmons on this roster.
Things have gotten better over his last eight games as he is shooting 50% from the floor and 38.5% from deep while averaging 17.5 points. This is due to coach Doc Rivers continuing to preach quick decisions to him.
“Every day, but you get stuck,” said Rivers. “It happens, you do, and that’s why with all the stuff about Tobias, I was never that concerned. You can see he worked on stuff all summer and that’s what happens. You work on your game, you work on stuff, and the season starts and you try to do it and then you get caught in thought. It happens to a lot of players and they get out of it. Tobias, as you can see, is starting to get out of it.”
There are two games in that stretch that really stick out for Harris. In their Jan. 15 win over the Miami Heat, Harris had 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting and he had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday as his play was lost in the 50-point barrage from Joel Embiid.
“Very efficient,” Rivers said after the win over Orlando. “We fell on a really nice set in the second half that we worked on and it was very efficient for him because it caught him moving and making quick decisions as well so that was good.”
That’s the big thing with Harris. When he gets caught up in trying to dance and take a guy off the dribble, he can get a little stagnant and the offense for both him and the team overall can be a bit rough. Against the Heat, Harris wasn’t thinking with the basketball. That allowed him to have success out there.
“I like that it’s quicker,” Rivers finished. “He made a lot of plays the other night (against Miami) for not just himself, for everyone. Everything was quick, decisive, I told our guys I thought it was one of our most decisive games. No hesitation.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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