Tobias Harris fits with the Sixers perfectly, if he’s used properly | Mailbag

This is the 36th edition of the weekly 76ers mailbag. Each week, Inquirer.com followers may submit questions to be answered.

Missed out on the party this week? No worries. Submit questions for next time by following me on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and tweeting your inquiry with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.

Answer: What’s good, John? I hope you are excited about the season. I respectfully disagree with your assessment. You don’t give a player an $180 million contract because he’s well liked. He was given that money because the Sixers think he’s the third star needed next to Embiid and Simmons to make a deep postseason run. He’s not a bad fit. I would argue that he wasn’t used properly while playing with both All-Stars. On those occasions, he mostly stood in the corner.

It wasn’t his fault that he was used improperly. I think we will see a better version of him under new coach Doc Rivers. Let’s not forget that Harris had a career season under Rivers as a Los Angeles Clipper before being traded to the Sixers. Plus, he played out of position last season. He’s a power forward who had to slide down to small forward because of the acquisition of Al Horford. I look for him to have a solid season.

A: What’s up, man? I hope you are well, and thanks for the great question. I think I would start Curry, which shouldn’t be taken as a knock at Shake.

I just think Milton could thrive as a go-to scorer off the bench. The Sixers could put the ball in his hands and say “go to work.” That wouldn’t happen in the starting lineup alongside Simmons, Embiid and Harris. Simmons needs and should have the ball in that scenario. But on the second unit, Milton could thrive in this role. Rivers feels the same way. So you have to assume that he’ll be the sixth or seventh man.

Meanwhile, I think Curry fits in nicely alongside Simmons and Embiid. He will create the spacing needed. The attention Simmons, Embiid and Harris will attract could lead to plenty of three-point opportunities. And things will open for them when he’s knocking down threes.

I’m not saying it won’t when Milton is hitting threes. I just think he would be better utilized as a go-to scorer off the bench.

A: What’s up, Dave? I really appreciate you participating in this week’s mailbag. This is actually a tough question. As I tweeted, I’m not a foodie like Patrick Rees, the Sixers vice president of communications. So I’m probably the worst person to ask, but I will have to say New York, Miami and San Francisco whenever I do go out. A lot of times, I’ll just order room service or grab something from the hotel restaurant or some place close to the hotel.

Yeah, my #pregamelunchflow is lame.