Tobias Harris' Reaction to Recent Struggles

The Philadelphia 76ers finally got the boost they needed. After striking a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers got rid of the All-Star who wouldn't play for them in Ben Simmons and replaced him with a motivated superstar in James Harden.

When the Sixers landed Harden weeks ago at the trade deadline, they couldn't utilize him right away. At the time, Harden was dealing with a hamstring injury, which sidelined him for four games.

Then, the Sixers went into the NBA All-Star break. Once the break was up, it was all systems go for the Harden era in Philadelphia. Last Friday, Harden made his debut. While his presence was expected to create a significant impact on Joel Embiid, Harden could help everybody get a boost.

Joel Embiid's seen the impact already. The big man has averaged 35 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in two games. The second-year guard Tyrese Maxey has seen it as well. Against Minnesota and New York, Maxey put up 24 points per game, along with four rebounds, two assists, and three steals per game.

The other notable player in Philadelphia's starting lineup Tobias Harris hasn't quite seen the boost yet. Before Harden's debut, Harris averaged 18 points in 49 games for the Sixers. In the two games he played alongside Harden, Harris put up two points per game while shooting just 27-percent from the field.

Is Anybody Worried?

Following Sunday's victory over the Knicks, Sixers coach Doc Rivers mentioned he's far from worried about Harris' lack of production. "We're in the wins business," said Rivers. "We're not trying to keep everybody happy because if that's true, we'd be in the loss business. Tobias is gonna get great shots. That's why he was happy after the game. He was like, 'Gosh, I gotta take advantage of all these opportunities I got,' and he felt like he didn't, but over the long haul, he will. So, I'm not very concerned by it."

After a Tuesday afternoon practice session in Camden, New Jersey, Harris echoed a similar sentiment as Rivers.

"Everyone has this notion of, 'You've got to score this many points or that,'" Harris said, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I get it, but at the end of the day, like I said, I'm a winner, and I [contribute] to winning basketball. If that is me taking 15 shots, if that's me taking eight shots, it is what it is. As long as we're winning basketball games, that's what the name of the game is about. A lot of people don't like to hear that, but that's the predicament we're in now. We have a lot of firepower, especially with James and Joel on the team."

Harris proved last season that he desires to be an All-Star caliber player, which is caused by personal success. However, he made it clear that winning games is first and foremost on his list of goals throughout the NBA season. Is he satisfied with poor shooting and offensive production? Of course not. But if the Sixers are winning games, it's hard for anybody on the roster to be disgruntled.

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

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