For the Philadelphia 76ers to have any type of success in the playoffs, they will have to lean on Tobias Harris to become one of their main offensive threats on a nightly basis.
To be clear, he already is. He’s averaging 19.6 points this season, but moving forward, he is going to have to give even more against the Celtics explosive wings.
One way to do that would be getting to the foul line a bit more. He is a guy who can put the ball in the basket, but he does not get to the line much averaging just 3.0 attempts per game. In the bubble, he is averaging 3.5 attempts at the line, but he would like to do even more, especially with Ben Simmons out.
“That’s a huge point of emphasis to be more efficient and being more effective, getting to the free-throw line,” said Harris. “I’m on a day-to-day basis watching film and evaluating and seeing what’s being called in ways to get to the free-throw line. I am a guy who heavily focuses on making shots and sometimes that’s to a fault.”
He has been up and down in terms of his free-throw attempts inside the bubble. He attempted seven from the line against the Orlando Magic on August 7, but then followed that up with zero free-throw attempts in 32 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers on August 9, before shooting eight on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.
“I do have to do a better job at selling some of the contact as being a bigger guy, a stronger guy,” Harris continued. “It’s a continued progression, but it’s definitely something that’s an emphasis for me and for our team in the playoffs.”
With Simmons most likely done for the season, Harris feels that he and the rest of the guys on this roster are going to have to give more on that end of the floor. They will need to shift their mindset forward.
“Me personally, with Ben being out, that’s a guy who contributes a whole lot for us offensively, in the way that he’s able to collapse defenses,” explained Harris. “So, I think everyone kind of has to shift themselves in a different way to contribute, whether that be, being a spacer, whether it be shooting the basketball. As a collective unit, we look to all find a way to up our games to another level to help our team offensively.”
Philadelphia will have one final tune-up game on Friday against the Houston Rockets before getting ready for the playoffs which begin on Monday. [lawrence-related id=36780,36775,36772]