The Philadelphia 76ers find themselves in a tough situation. They are trying to move forward and build off being the top team in the Eastern Conference last season but are dealing with a star player being a malcontent, Ben Simmons.
The Sixers welcomed Simmons back to practice after he ended his holdout following his trade request, but the situation has not progressed favorably. Simmons has been described as being not mentally or physically engaged with the team, and frustrations boiled over on Tuesday when he was thrown out of practice for refusing to participate in a defensive drill, which led to a suspension.
To hold the team together, the team is leaning on Tobias Harris. He is taking on the role of vocal leader and keeping the locker room vibe light.
“Just by using my voice,” Harris stated. “Making things as light as they need to be. I like to really just see what the vibe is and see any way I can put my hand on it and try to keep guys in the right focus and intent and just to make things light off the floor. Jokes, stuff like that, little things, but it goes a long way.”
Tobias Harris talks about how he is leading the team amid the tough situation they find themselves in #Sixers pic.twitter.com/0xrVqOpN5K
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 20, 2021
Not only is Harris being more of a vocal leader, but he is also sacrificing more on the floor to push the team agenda.
“Besides him being a great leader, which I don’t think he gets enough credit for, I think he does a good job of giving himself up to get better shots for the team,” said new addition Georges Niang. “You can’t put a price tag on that. When you have one of your best players passing the ball and cutting through so you can get a better shot for your team, it makes the game easier for everybody.”
Harris is preaching to the group the big opportunity everyone has with Simmons gone. Everybody has to step up and do more, and that should excite everybody on the team.
“Just really focusing on the things that we can control,” Harris added. “The good thing is we got a group of guys who everybody is now in a position where they have to step up so for anybody to be lagging mentally or focus-wise on other things, it’s only gonna hurt their game. For the group, it’s like everybody has an increased role.”
The relaxed restrictions this season have helped that effort. Players can go out to dinner with each other and continue to grow as a team rather than having to stay isolated. That was a tough part of the 2020-21 season with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It helps a lot,” Harris added. “Those team bonding moments, being around each other, those things hold the team together through the year. Late in games, being able to hold each other accountable as teammates is key so those moments are always important building blocks to a successful organization and team.”
The Sixers will open the season at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and Harris will look to lead the Simmons-less Sixers to a good start.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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