Tobias Harris' Recent Struggles Aren't Concerning Doc Rivers

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the court last Friday night after a week-long break. Not only was the Minnesota Timberwolves matchup Philly's first game since the All-Star break, but it was also the debut of James Harden.

It was unclear how well Harden would mesh with his new team right off the bat, but he didn't disappoint. In 35 minutes, Harden dropped 27 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in his debut.

Harden's All-Star teammate Joel Embiid continued thriving as he scored a team-high of 34 points while securing the double-double with ten rebounds as well.

Outside of the two superstars, another Sixer thrived on Friday as the young guard Tyrese Maxey put up 28 points in 32 minutes.

It was always suspected that Embiid and Maxey would get a boost from playing alongside Harden, but many assumed Tobias Harris could also reap the benefits. Last Friday, he struggled to do that, though.

Against Minnesota, Harris scored just six points in 30 minutes. He drained just two of his nine field-goal attempts. Considering it was Philly's first game back from a long break, some players were expected to be rusty.

But Harris' struggles continued a couple of days later while the trio of Harden, Embiid, and Maxey thrived once again.

Against the New York Knicks, James Harden collected his first triple-double for Philadelphia by scoring 29 points, 16 assists, and ten rebounds in 39 minutes.

Joel Embiid, who checked in for 36 minutes, put up 37 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Meanwhile, Maxey had another stellar outing as he collected 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in 37 minutes of action.

But once again, Harris struggled a ton for most of the matchup. It wasn't until the third quarter when Harris collected his first points. Even though he had two points, he hadn't drained a basket in over 22 minutes.

Going into the fourth quarter, Harris was 0-5 from the field. James Harden got in Harris' ear and urged him to stop passing up open shots. Doc Rivers continued to trust Harris despite his constant struggles over the last couple of games.

The veteran forward went on to play every second in the final quarter of the Knicks matchup. Harris was a crucial contributor in the last quarter as he scored a team-high of ten points in 12 minutes. After the game, Doc Rivers made it clear that he's not concerned at all about Harris' recent struggles.

"He had great shots," Rivers explained. "We're in the wins business. 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."

Harris' season has had plenty of ups and downs. Earlier in the year, when he struggled to look like the borderline All-Star from last season, Rivers made it clear that the veteran would bounce back, and Harris did. Now, he just has to get back into a groove and find ways to thrive with Philly's new-look starting five.

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