PHILADELPHIA — When it felt like his descent into a truly unplayable presence would never end, Tobias Harris got his groove back for the Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid may not have been on the floor alongside him but he did play a pivotal role in the performance.
Harris played a pivotal role in saving the Sixers from a disgraceful loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He scored 31 points on 13-19 shooting (including 5-8 from deep) and tallied a season-best 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in the 121-114 win. His shot selection was quick and it benefitted him immensely. His scoring outburst mostly occurred early in the game, keeping Philly afloat in a not-so-great start.
Embiid said that he recently had a long talk with Harris to help him break out of a brutal slump. In his four prior games to his successful outing vs. the Hornets, he averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting 32.1 percent from deep. He couldn’t buy a shooting rhythm and no complementary skill like scoring or playmaking allowed him to still have some type of impact.
The heart-to-heart with Embiid was “extremely helpful,” Harris said, touting Embiid's remarkable basketball intellect and the years the two have spent together with the 76ers. Embiid's message to Harris boiled down to focusing on the task at hand and not beating himself up.
Tobias Harris said his recent conversation with Joel Embiid was “extremely helpful” in getting him back on track.
He said Embiid is “a very intelligent basketball mind” and that he gave him good advice on how to “be efficient for the group.” pic.twitter.com/z98rpviXFX
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) March 2, 2024
“You had a rough seven-game stretch, not 70 games,” Embiid said at the end of the talk, Harris recalled. Embiid wanted him to figure out how Harris could “be efficient for the group” and keep things in perspective. The struggles on the court need to be fixed, yes, but the downsides don’t bleed too far beyond the lines on the court. “You're not out there saving lives. It's basketball. Enjoy it and figure it out but don't put too much pressure on yourself,” Embiid told Harris.
Tobias Harris has long been a player who gets in his own way. Thinking too much on offense leaves him with no good options way too frequently. Whether it results in a forced, rushed shot attempt from him or his teammate being stuck with an end-of-shot-clock grenade, he's always at his most effective on offense when playing off of a superior creator and making read-and-react decisions.
What got Harris going, he said, was “being aggressive out there, taking the looks that were presented and just being able to see the ball go through, through the rim a few times and feeding off of the energy.”
Nick Nurse pointed to the 76ers' incredible playmaking against the Hornets to show why Harris was able to make such a sizable impact.
“I think we were getting into the paint and getting a lot of faced-up catch-and-shoot shots. And if those weren't there, it was a swing over and then that guy had some space to attack,” Nurse said. “I think he just was in positions to catch and shoot and he was in positions to attack closeouts. And then he did make a couple, two or three, really tough one-on-one moves, as well, which we know we can do. But by that time, he was already feeling some open looks and some and some drives to the basket.”
The balance of getting Harris in the right spots and allowing him to get there himself is delicate. He has the ability to score in the post and on grinding, slow face-up moves but the 76ers rarely find their best shots from those possessions. Nurse has to make things easier for everyone since Embiid isn’t around to do that on the court. Limiting Harris' touches that take the most time is a good start.
Tobias Harris still has a long way to go before he proves he's back. Showing out against a terrible team like the Hornets is expected from someone of his status with the 76ers, though it was a very refreshing game coming off the heels of one of his worst stretches in Philly. However big or small of a step it may be, it's certainly one in the right direction.
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