The Sixers’ Tobias Harris is in quite a shooting groove | Off the Dribble
Harris is putting up career-best numbers in terms of percentage.
Good morning, Sixers fans. There is a lot of optimism right now, with the Sixers 12-5 and No. 1 in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers had off Sunday and will return to action Monday for their second game in three days in Detroit against the Pistons. Saturday’s 114-110 win in Detroit gave the Sixers their third win in a row.
The players at this point are responding to coach Doc Rivers, with Tobias Harris being a prime example. He had his best offensive moments while playing for Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers, and this year, Harris has a chance to surpass anything he has achieved in the past, at least in terms of shooting percentage.
You’re signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @Sjnard. Thank you for reading.
Have 5 minutes to help us make the Inquirer better? Complete this survey for a chance to participate in a focus group and receive a $60 Amazon gift card.
— Marc Narducci (offthedribble@inquirer.com)
Harris taking the next step?
In 87 games over parts of two seasons while playing for Rivers and the Clippers, Harris averaged 20.3 points and shot 42.6% from three-point range.
This year, he is shooting the best in his career. Harris has played 14 games, missing three because of contact tracing. Here are his numbers :
2020-21: 19.4 ppg., 51.7% FG; 45.5% three-point; 58.9% effective field-goal percentage (this is a statistic that takes into consideration the additional difficulty of three-point shots and the extra points awarded for making a three-pointer).
Season best totals before 2020-21 (these consist of full-season totals including when he played for more than one team):
20.0 ppg (2018-19); 48.7% FG (2018-19); 41.1% three-point (2017-18); 54.9% effective field-goal percentage (2018-19).
This season, his field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and effective field-goal percentage are the highest of his career.
A big reason for his shooting success is Rivers’ offense, which gives the players better spacing and thus more open shots.
Rivers said in the beginning of the season he didn’t want Harris to be thinking as much as reacting. Harris has been doing that. Nowhere is that demonstrated more than this stat: He is shooting 47.5% on catch-and-shoot threes, according to NBA.com stats.
“We have a lot of space out here on the floor so we know as a team, once we get that extra pass for a great shot, that is what we want night in and night out,” Harris said after Saturday’s win in Detroit. “So getting those looks but then also knocking them down and having the confidence to make them and I think the big difference is now they’re beginning to come in a rhythm, where for me I’ve always said I am a player that flows in rhythm.”
So constant ball movement in an offense in which there is plenty of space to operate plays to Harris’ strengths.
“If the ball is moving and we are moving, I am going to be successful,” Harris said. “That is just the nature of the flow of the game and how I work, so when those shots come in a rhythm, I knock them out.”
Starting five
Keith Pompey writes how Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are embracing their partnership.
Pompey writes that Simmons is delivering what the Sixers need to win.
Pompey has his best/worst awards for the Sixers’ win at Detroit on Saturday.
Even though they were playing the worst team in the NBA and one that was undermanned, the Sixers showed against Detroit they could win on the road while not playing their best basketball.
Pompey reports that Embiid is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against Detroit because of back tightness.
The ups and downs of Villanova product Saddiq Bey
Pistons forward Saddiq Bey is going through what most rookies do in the NBA: plenty of ups and downs.
After two seasons at Villanova, Bey was the 19th overall selection in this past NBA draft by Brooklyn, which sent him to Detroit in a draft-day deal.
The 6-foot-7 Bey had some big early games for the 3-13 Pistons, including 17 points in a win over Boston and 20 points and 10 rebounds in a loss at Milwaukee. In one nine-game stretch, he averaged 11.7 points.
Before scoring 10 points in Saturday’s loss to the Sixers, Bey went through a four-game stretch in which he averaged 1.8 points in 9.8 minutes.
Pistons coach Dwane Casey says this is all part of the maturation process in the NBA.
“I think that he started off hot as a shooter, and now he’s missed a few shots and everybody wants to get excited — I’m not,” Casey said before Saturday’s game. “I just see the growth process with him. He’s a smart player. He came in early and made what seems like every three-point shot he had available. But one thing that he can do when his shot is not falling is defend, be a ball mover, be a factor definitely on the defensive end, and rebound.”
Casey says the offense will resurface.
“Believe me, his shot is going to come around. He is not going to forget how to shoot it,” Casey said. “So that’s exactly what we want to see out of him, and we are seeing it. We are not disappointed in Saddiq in no way, fashion or form.”
Saturday, Bey started and played 19 minutes, 18 seconds. He scored 10 points. shooting 4-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-5 from three-point range.
In 15 games, Bey is averaging 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes.
Important dates
Monday: Sixers at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Wednesday: Los Angeles Lakers at Sixers, 7:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, ESPN
Friday: Sixers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m., Target Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Sunday: Sixers at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m., Bankers Life Fieldhouse, NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Feb. 3: Sixers at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m., Spectrum Center, NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Passing the rock
Question: If Simmons can score between 15 and 20 a night, they are going to win most of the time. The question is, can he? — Ken Hicks on Facebook
Answer: Thanks for the question, Ken. If you would have asked this question last year, I would have said “absolutely” since Simmons averaged 16.4 points last season. In fact, his average for his first three seasons was also 16.4 points. This year, he is averaging 12.9 points and has been under 15 in eight of his 15 games. The 20 points he scored in Saturday’s win were a season high.
Two things have to happen for him to be a better scorer, and both sound elementary: He has to shoot more and has to do a better job of finishing his drives to the basket.
As we mentioned in a previous newsletter, he is averaging just 12.4 shots per 100 possessions, according to basketball-reference.com. Last season, he averaged 15.5. Simmons is also shooting 66.2% in shots around the rim. Last season, it was 71.9%.
If he gets to last season’s totals in attempted field goals and percentage on shots around the rim, he clearly can be a better scorer. With Simmons, I think it is all about confidence. It looks like he is getting more, but can it be sustained?