When you have as many talented players in your starting five as the Philadelphia 76ers last year, it can be hard for everyone to get touches.
Tobias Harris averaged close to the same amount of field goal attempts in Philly as he did with the Los Angeles Clippers, but Sixers head coach Brett Brown privately admitted to Harris that the Sixers did not involve him enough on the offensive end, according to Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Brown did not take part in the press conference last week and he has declared himself on Full Media Blackout until the team reconvenes in September. But a league source familiar with the conversation between Brown and Harris confirmed that, in their meeting last month, Brown admitted to Harris that Harris could have been the team’s first option more often; that it didn’t have to be cold-blooded Jimmy Butler all the time.
While Harris averaged more field goal attempts than Butler in the regular season, Butler became the team's primary scoring option in the playoffs with Ben Simmons disappearing and Joel Embiid battling physical discomfort and inconsistency.
The Sixers were aggressive in re-signing Harris to a max deal after Butler made his intentions to leave Philadelphia clear, inking the 27-year-old to a five-year $180 million max deal.
With Butler and J.J. Redick gone and Simmons still working on finding a jump shot, Harris will likely be a focal point of the offense in Philly. Brown will have to figure out how to create more floor spacing and surround both Embiid and Harris with personnel that compliment their playing styles.
Follow Us
Subscribe