Tobias Harris Rising to the Occasion For Sixers Versus Nets

The Nets have been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Joel Embiid through two games of the Sixers and Nets first-round matchup. They seem deadset on letting anyone other than Embiid beat them. After two wins to start the series for the Sixers, Tobias Harris has been one of those other players who has taken the Nets up on their offer.

Embiid’s scoring totals are down through two games because of the attention the Nets have given him. The possessions where Embiid sees just a single defender are a rare occasion. As such, the big fella has needed to be more of a facilitator and trust his teammates to step up. Tobias Harris, a lightning rod for criticism over the last few years, has done just that.

Harris averaged just 14.7 points a game this year – the lowest of his Sixers career – as he adjusted to being the fourth option when the Sixers are full-strength. He put up 21 points in game one and followed that up with a 20-point performance on Monday night. He was critical in the Sixers surge to start the second half after they trailed the Nets by five at half-time and by as many as 11 points in the second quarter.

Harris came up with a huge steal and fast-break dunk with the Sixers down four in the early going of the third quarter.

Harris has been efficient through the first two games, hitting 4 of 6 three-pointers and connecting on 60.7% of his field goal attempts. He’s averaged 8.0 rebounds, including 12 on Monday night. The Sixers needed every bit of Harris’s output in game two after their sluggish first-half performance.

Harris has done this before at the start of playoff series, so maintaining this level of play will be critical for the Sixers with the series headed to Brooklyn on Thursday. Last year against the Raptors, Harris had back-to-back 20-point games before posting 11 points in game three. He had 27 and 21 points in games one and two against the Heat in round two and then didn’t score more than 14 the rest of the series – though he posted those 20-point games with Embiid out for games one and two.

Harris has drawn the ire of Sixers fans ever since he signed the max contract in the summer of 2019 because he’s not a max player, but making that argument at this point is useless. The Sixers need him to play closer to the level of a max player than that of the one that only scored 14.7 points a game this year if they want to get passed the second round this year. So far, he’s showing signs of stepping up in the playoffs and being that player. Whether or not he can maintain that level remains to be seen.