Getty Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Among the best players on the Nets that the Sixers will be tasked to stop is Mikal Bridges, who was acquired midseason from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant.
Among those who recognize Bridges’ abilities is Sixers starter Tobias Harris, who praised Bridges for how important he is to the Nets while talking with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“He’s good,” Harris told Pompey. “He’s ballin’. So he will be a big piece for them in the playoffs. We have to be able to make all of his looks tough.”
In 26 games with the Nets this season, Bridges is putting up career-high averages in field goal attempts (19.3), field goals (9.20), three-point field goals (free throw attempts (6.9), three-point field goals (2.6), free throws (6.2), and points (27.2). Bridges has not been as efficient this season shooting from the field – shooting 46.8% from the field this season compared to 53.4% the season before – but that’s to be expected with the bigger role he has with the Nets compared to the one he had on the Suns.
The Sixers are 3-0 against the Nets this season and have the chance to sweep the season series on April 9.
Georges Niang Calls Nets ‘Super Talented’
Sixers sharpshooter Georges Niang also spoke with Pompey about the upcoming playoff matchup against the Nets, praising them for what they can do on the court despite all the changes that they made mid-season.
“They’re a super talented team,” Niang told Pompey. “They got new pieces that haven’t been there all year, but they pose different challenges with their ability to go small and play fast. But they do a great job of moving the ball and shooting a lot of threes and playing fast.”
In addition to Bridges, the Nets acquired Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cam Johnson in exchange for Durant and Kyrie Irving at the NBA Trade deadline.
Since acquiring all their new players at the Deadline, the Nets have gone 12-14 over the last 26 games of the season, which dropped them from the no. 5 seed to the np. 6 seed.
Tobias Harris Challenges Sixers After Bucks Loss
After the Sixers suffered a 13-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 2, Harris challenged the team to be stronger mentally.
“Shoot, figure it out,” Harris told reporters, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “We got to figure it out. Four games left. I think the biggest thing is that in midst of all that stuff, we still got to be mentally strong to win a game or at least to just present ourselves that we feel like we win a game.”
Harris added that the Sixers cannot afford to play like that in the playoffs knowing the stakes involved.
“If you just looked at us out there, I’m not watching the game on TV, but I can guarantee you, you saw a team that looked a little defeated out there from time to time in the game,” Harris said. “That can’t be us as the playoffs get ready to start.”