February 27, 2024
Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
Tobias Harris' significant struggles continued Tuesday night in Boston.
The Sixers were blown out at home on Sunday afternoon by the Milwaukee Bucks, and the schedule gods did not relent: Tuesday night, their attempt to rebound after the loss came in Boston against the NBA-best Celtics. Tyrese Maxey was excellent once again, but he did not get much help, as the Sixers fell 117-99. Here is what stood out from the loss:
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse had his hands tied in this one, even beyond missing Joel Embiid. Three of his most pivotal role players — Nic Batum, Kyle Lowry and De'Anthony Melton — were having their minutes monitored on some sort of unspecified minutes restriction.
As a result, Sixers two-way wing Ricky Council IV was put back in the rotation early on — and he excelled. The Celtics like to have star big-man Kristaps Porzingis roam as a free safety of sorts on defense, neglecting the opposing team's weakest shooter. In this case, it was Council, who used his tremendous athleticism and strength to barrel into the 7-foot-3 shot-blocker and finish an acrobatic layup. At the end of the quarter, he threw down a powerful put-back dunk off a missed shot by Maxey. Council also made an impact on both ends of the floor in the second half. His energy is as palpable as it is infectious.
Additionally, Nurse called upon the services of Cam Payne, who knocked down a three on his very first touch and helped the Sixers deploy a successful small-ball lineup, then got hot from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. Nurse likes the looks with multiple ball-handlers, especially ones that include Maxey, as they allow the first-time All-Star to be used as an off-ball weapon and be relieved of some portion of his immense ball-handling responsibilities.
The Celtics are the best-shooting team in the entire NBA. Their combination of gigantic volume and consistent efficiency is unmatched throughout the league. And yet, the Sixers held them to 2-11 shooting from beyond the arc in the first half. It was an extremely impressive collective effort, one which kept them right in the game despite the massive talent discrepancy. Maxey in particular had an impressive outing on the defensive end.
Melton has been tremendous over the Sixers' last two games, building some serious momentum after missing nearly 20 consecutive games with a back injury. Just when things were trending upwards for Melton, perhaps another setback took place, as he was ruled out for the second half of the game due to back spasms.
The glass-half-full view here is that the Sixers are being as cautious as they can with a player who just returned from a lengthy absence. The glass-half-empty view is, well, more discouraging. Just as the Sixers are starting to bring Embiid's full supporting cast back into the fold, it would be absolutely brutal if Melton was forced to miss even ,more time than he already has.
Mo Bamba eventually checked into this game early in the second quarter — and gave the Sixers some juice with a put-back make and a three — but Nurse used Batum and Harris at center well before calling Bamba's number. It is hard to blame Nurse, as the results stemming from Bamba-centric lineups have been somewhat catastrophic in most cases.
It was encouraging to see Bamba make a few standout plays in each half because with the playoffs coming relatively soon, he will not have a plethora of chances to prove himself as a viable backup center behind Paul Reed. If he can become more solid on the glass and consistently knock down the open threes that defenses will allow him to take out of pick-and-pop actions with Maxey, he can be that guy for the Sixers. But, as is always the case with Bamba, the idea is much more suitable in theory than in practice.
Entering this game, Harris has averaged just 15 points per game, shooting 45.5 percent from the field and an abysmal 23.8 percent from beyond the arc since Embiid suffered his meniscus injury against the Golden State Warriors. Harris has been making poor decisions on top of his lackluster execution.
When the Sixers have needed him most, he has not risen to the occasion whatsoever. His play is becoming increasingly problematic. If this slump lasts much longer, Nurse must grapple with some potential changes that may be a tough sell, but is in the best interest of the team — because right now, Harris cannot be relied upon in any capacity.
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