76ers vs. Raptors: Joel Embiid Issues Challenge for Tobias Harris

What are Joel Embiid's thoughts on Tobias Harris's showing against the Raptors.

Tobias Harris slowed down after a red-hot start to the season. Through the first month of action, the Philadelphia 76ers’ veteran averaged 18 points per game while shooting an efficient 52 percent from the field. 

His stretch through December hasn’t been as productive. Averaging fewer than 12 points per game while shooting just 47 percent on eight attempts, Harris hasn’t met his team’s expectations. 

This week, he scored just three points on three shots against the Chicago Bulls. Two nights later, he upped the attempts to ten field goals but scored nine points.

On Friday against the Toronto Raptors, Harris put on a performance that looked like night and day compared to his latest showings.

“He was great,” Sixers center Joel Embiid said, discussing Harris’s game against Toronto. 

Harris had plenty of ideal looks from the field on Friday, including nine opportunities to launch threes. A proven high-volume three-point shooter in the past at times, Harris was sharp from long-range, hitting on five of his nine attempts from deep on Friday.

But Harris wasn’t just jacking up threes for the Sixers — he was doing a little bit of everything — including putting up the most solo points in the scoring department alongside Tyrese Maxey.

“Tobias Harris was key,” Maxey said after Friday’s game. “He really picked it up for us, made some shots, was really good on defense. So, we appreciate him for that.”

Harris scored a game-high 33 points in 38 minutes on Friday. He also collected eight rebounds, seven assists, and snatched a steal. In a matchup where the Sixers put together an uninspiring start out of the gate, Harris kept the engine running for Philly in the first half, leaving the opportunity for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to push the matchup into comfortable territory for the Sixers in the second half. 

“He was decisive — he wasn’t thinking about it,” Embiid finished. “He either had a shot, or he drove quick decisions. When they collapsed, he made the right play. That’s how he has to play every night.”

Embiid’s not one to shy away from publicly challenging his teammates to find consistency after proving that game-changing performances are indeed possible on a nightly basis for certain guys. Usually, Maxey is the player who gets challenged by the MVP big man. This time around, it’s Harris, who the Sixers view as one of their biggest keys to success.