The Philadelphia 76ers' roster has taken a massive hit over the past week and a half, but they are starting to inch their way back to full strength. After missing the past six games due to health and safety protocols, star forward Tobias Harris made his return to the Sixers lineup. He tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 36 minutes of work against the Toronto Raptors Thursday night.
Following the nail-biting loss at the hands of the Raptors, Harris spoke to the media. It was there he gave a positive health update on how he was feeling after his return to action.
“I felt alright out there, obviously, first game back. Overall, still able to go out there and play 36 minutes. I got a little fatigued out there in some settings, but that is part of the way of working myself back. Nonetheless, just happy to get out there and play,” said Harris.
Since he arrived in Philadelphia, Harris has established himself as a leader in the locker room. Not only behind the scenes taking Sixers players under his wing, but on the court as well. Over the years, Harris has always made himself available to play on a nightly basis. This remained true prior to his return on Thursday.
Even though he had cleared protocols, Harris was still questionable leading up to the matchup. After going through warmups, he got deemed fit to make his return. The 29-year-old said postgame he wanted to do whatever he could to help his team after watching them battle despite being shorthanded in their recent stretch.
“We're down a lot of bodies, and when I was watching the Milwaukee [Bucks] game, I was like, man, these dudes are logging 40 minutes. And I'm like if I can semi-go, I'm not about to leave my guys out there,” Harris said postgame.
As far as returns go, Harris' was near perfect. He managed to take on a large workload and looked like himself for most of the night. His showing on Thursday should give the Sixers a sigh of relief as countless players have struggled to return to form after dealing with symptoms.
If Harris can continue to look like himself moving forward, it will be a huge boost for the Sixers. Having one of their top players back in the lineup should elevate the team on both ends of the floor. One area his presence greatly helps is the late-game offense.
In their past three matchups, the Sixers fell just short in the final minutes. Part of this could be credited to fatigue, but the personnel has been an issue at times. More so because the closing lineup has lacked a player who can be given the ball to make a play when the team needs a basket down the stretch. Harris has come up big in the fourth quarter multiple times during his Sixers' tenure and once again gives Doc Rivers someone to utilize as a “closer” when needed.
Philly still has a ways to go before they are fully healthy, but getting Harris back drastically helps the team as they attempt to turn their misfortunes around until then.
Follow Us
Subscribe