PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have been relying on different players to produce in the 2023-24 season. Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are at the head of the attack, but other players up and down the roster have found a way to contribute.
Tobias Harris is one of them. The reliable forward is once again producing good numbers. He’s averaging 19.4 points and shooting 56.9% from the floor and 36.4% from deep to begin the season. Once again, the Sixers can rely on him even when he isn’t feeling well.
Before the Sixers took on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, coach Nick Nurse revealed Harris has been dealing with a cold as well as the neck pain he suffered during Tuesday’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
“I talked to him earlier today (Wednesday) and he was — I was checking in on him,” said Nurse. “He said ‘Yeah, I’m a little sore, but I’m gonna be ready to go. I’m good to go.’ So I think his toughness and he’s been through a lot of stuff. Even last night (Tuesday), he played with a little bit of a cold, but he’s just like I’ve been through this a lot and I know how to kind of manage through some of this stuff and he wants to be out there and wants to play.”
Harris, and really the Sixers as a whole, have shown a tougher mentality this season. No matter what bumps and bruises these players have dealt with, they have battled through it.
“He (Harris) has shown some toughness, some resiliency, some veteran presence, right?” Nurse added. “But I’ve just kind of been impressed overall with just — we’ve taken some shots and some knocks and some things have happened in these games. Like Nic Batum, you probably saw him run off the court with his finger all in six different directions. Ran back in, came back out, taped up, played.”
Nurse has repeatedly said he is still learning about the Sixers and who they are as a team. He has been impressed by the toughness and the resiliency the team has shown him.
“I’ve been impressed in general with A, the guys’ mentality and mindset, and B, our medical guys taping them up and getting them back out there and see what they can do,” Nurse finished. “They can always give them another shot to go out there and see how they are. I like it. It shows something good about both sides of it. Yeah.”
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