Georges Niang Praises Tobias Harris Following Win vs. Magic

Going into Sunday night's game against the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers veteran Tobias Harris hasn't played his best ball. Ever since returning from the

Going into Sunday night's game against the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers veteran Tobias Harris hasn't played his best ball. Ever since returning from the 2022 NBA All-Star break, Harris has struggled to hit his stride in the new-look lineup that includes the ten-time All-Star, James Harden.

The looks have been there for Harris -- but the shots just weren't falling. Before Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, Harris was draining less than 40-percent of his shots in the first six games back from the break.

From three, Harris was draining only 26-percent of his attempts. When the 76ers went into the week-long All-Star break, Harris was having another solid year as he was contributing around 18 points per game. But that number dropped to 11 points per game in the first handful of games back.

On Thursday, Harris helped himself against the Nets by draining 50-percent of his shots for 16 points. However, his scoring didn't create much of an impact as the Sixers collected a blowout loss to Brooklyn.

Although Harris couldn't help his team win on Thursday, he came up big for the Sixers on Sunday when they faced the Orlando Magic. The fact that the Sixers needed to come back and force overtime against the Eastern Conference's bottom seed wasn't ideal -- but Harris and the Sixers did what they went to Orlando to do -- and that's win a basketball game.

For Harris, Sunday's game was just another step in the right direction for himself as he had another solid outing, which was his best performance yet playing alongside the star duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden.

In 43 minutes of action, Harris was efficient from the floor as he knocked down ten of his 18 shots from the field. He went 3-5 from three and hit the big shot that became the nail in the coffin for Orlando in overtime. 

After the game, his backup Georges Niang had nothing but praise for Harris as he was happy to see the hardworking veteran get back on track.

Niang's Praise for Harris

"I'm just so happy that he got the reward of being able to make that three," said Niang on Sunday. "He's been shooting the ball great, but he's really the spirit of this team, and he really lifts us up. I'm just so happy for him because I know how much he sacrifices and how much hard work he puts into his game. He deserves all the accolades and praise that come his way after a performance like this."

Embiid led the Sixers with 35 points on Sunday, but Harris' production couldn't be overlooked. In the first half, his team-leading 15 points in 19 minutes helped Philly stay within comeback distance.

In addition to his clutch three-point shot in overtime, Harris wrapped up Philly's Sunday night win over Orlando with 26 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. He tied James Harden, scoring the second-most amount of points in the 116-114 victory. 

Sunday's performance was a step in the right direction for Harris. If he can sustain that type of play on the offensive end, then the Sixers should be in good shape moving forward. 

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