Getty Tobias Harris (left) has had a hard time fitting in with the Sixers offense.
With four games left in the regular season the Philadelphia 76ers are 48-30 and are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are tied with the Bucks record-wise, are a half game behind the Celtics for second place, and are two and a half games back of the Heat in first place.
The good news for the Sixers is they’ll likely be favored in all of their remaining games. Philly will play at the Pacers, at the Raptors, then host the Pacers, and Pistons.
If the Sixers can close the season strong then they should be in line to land a top seed. What might be more important for the Sixers though is how they are playing together on the court.
Hall of Famer Sounds Off
Since the Sixers traded for superstar James Harden the team has gone 13-7. The pairing of Harden and Embiid has been seamless on the court as they jelled almost immediately, but there have been some issues.
The Sixers still struggle when Embiid goes to the bench as Harden has not been able to shoulder the load. Also, while Harden and Embiid have meshed well together the transition hasn’t been as easy with Tobias Harris.
Laker great and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Monday. During the discussion he talked about the Sixers issues and offered up a solution.
“Until Tobias Harris becomes a factor on the offensive end, yes I’m concerned,” Johnson said. “Because when you think about it, they need him to take the pressure off of Embiid – and that takes the ball out of James [Harden]’s hands. My problem with the Sixers is, [Harden]’s got it too much. A team can load up on the Sixers because of that.”
Johnson continued:
What they have to do is definitely get the ball in [Harris’s] hands, they’ve got to get him involved more. They’re too predictable right now. Everybody knows they’re going to run that pick and roll, James is going to have it, and because of that the great teams always beat them. They’re going to have to figure out how to get the ball out of [Harden’s] hands and let other people play with the basketball, especially Harris. And then Joel Embiid’s got to be the monster he has been all season long.
It’s unlikely that the Sixers will take the ball out of Harden’s hands in favor of putting it in Harris’s hands more. The team does need to mix things up and do some things differently on offense.
Harris Coming Around
While Harris got off to a slow start with Harden, he’s been playing better of late. Over his last ten games Harris has averaged 15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. He’s also been pretty efficient shooting 50.8% from the field and 34% from three.
Those numbers are encouraging for the Sixers as they head towards the playoffs, but ultimately they’ll need more out of Harris. He and the rest of the Sixers will have to step up when Embiid goes to the bench in the playoffs or the Sixers could get bounced early.