Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris Kept the Team Close During NBA Suspension

The Philadelphia 76ers had to self-quarantine over the last few months. Thankfully for Tobias Harris' leadership, the team stayed in close contact through group chats and virtual meetings.

Being away from the game of basketball for so long can have an effect on team chemistry. Unfortunately, due to the multi-month hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philadelphia 76ers haven't been able to work together at all.

Thankfully for technology, though, players can keep in touch with each other via group chats and Zoom calls. And a 76ers veteran made sure to keep leading during the pandemic by creating a team group chat keeping everybody in contact, so team chemistry doesn't take a hit before the NBA's return next month.

The Sixers would participate in "Virtual Happy Hours" as General Manager Elton Brand labeled it. It's when members of the team would hop onto a Zoom call and chop it up for about an hour as if guys were in the locker room or hanging out by the court.

"They are having happy hours, so they stay engaged with their teammates," Brand said a couple of months back. "They are spending time with each other, and they truly miss just playing. They miss the locker room, they miss the fans, they miss everything that basketball afforded them. So that's their bond -- they are staying tight that way."

When Brand initially revealed the 76ers were participating in group chats to stay engaged, he didn't want to mention which player came up with the idea. "It's one of the vets," the second-year GM said. Automatically, many assumed it was Tobias Harris, who has placed himself into an important leadership role this season.

So, Brand wouldn't budge at the time as he refused to say who started the virtual happy hours. Joel Embiid, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to divulge that information. "I think it was Tobias [Harris] who started [the group chat]," Embiid told Sixers Digital Reporter, Lauren Rosen. "Then we just rolled with it -- that's how we keep in touch."

Soon, the group chats will no longer be necessary as the Sixers will spend plenty of time together for the next few months starting in July. As NBA owners have agreed to a return-to-play format, the 76ers will report to Orlando, Florida midway through July, and will remain in the "bubble-city" environment until they are eliminated from the 2020 NBA Playoffs, or the season wraps up after the NBA Finals.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_