The Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at the top of the East with a 17-7 record, and they are playing some pretty good basketball. They have a legitimate MVP candidate, Joel Embiid, and two others, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, who should receive serious consideration for the All-Star game.
When a team is this good, there is an acceptance of roles. Embiid is the one who has the responsibility of carrying the team and being the leader on an every-night basis. Simmons has taken on the role of doing everything on the floor. And Harris has stepped into the role of being a consistent scorer every night.
“It’s the trust and system, we saw,” Harris explained. “Luckily, we were able to see early on, the things that Doc was harping on to really put into a system of play and things that he knew would be able to help us win. We’re able to see results early, which is being fine with that and accepting that type of role and this is how we need to play to be successful.”
Accepting his role has put Harris in a good position and he is having a career season. He had 21 points in Saturday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. He is averaging a career-high 20.2 points, and he has a true shooting percentage of 60.7%, which is also a career-high.
Harris obviously has a history with Rivers, and he understands how the coach wants to run things. The key is being able to lock in every single game. That is what is going to be important in the long run, especially when the playoffs come around.