Tobias Harris reacts to James Harden going down with injury: "The objective is to figure out how to continue to build our chemistry"
The Philadelphia 76ers will be without All-Star guard James Harden for a month due to a right foot tendon strain. This is not ideal for the Sixers. They have been inconsistent this season, posting a 4-6 record through 10 games. Harden has averaged 22 points and 10 assists in nine games.
The 76ers are working their way out of an early season funk. They have won three of their last four games. The team has a championship coach in Doc Rivers, and an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid. They have enough talent on their roster to overcome the loss of James Harden.
The Sixers will have to get more out of forward Tobias Harris. The highly-paid forward is averaging just 14.4 points per game. Tyrese Maxey has picked up the slack. He has blossomed into a star before our eyes, averaging 24.9 points and 3.8 assists in 10 games.
Veterans De’Anthony Melton and Danuel House will likely get an increase in minutes during Harden’s absence. The 76ers will need more production from their bench during this upcoming stretch.
Tobias Harris recently spoke about James Harden's absence and how it will impact the team's play. Regardless of Harden's availability, the 76ers' objective remains the same.
"But for us right now, the objective is to figure out how to continue to build our chemistry and figure out ways to win games."
Tobias Harris: "But for us right now, the objective is to figure out how to continue to build our chemistry and figure out ways to win games.”
The show will go on with James Harden out. But what will the Sixers do when he returns? inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-… via @phillyinquirer
There is no doubt that James Harden's unavailability will be challenging for the team. Their next game will be against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, November 7. Their schedule doesn't get much easier after that.
The 76ers have upcoming games against the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks. The Sixers will have to come together quickly to stay in contention in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid Will Have to Find MVP Form with James Harden out
The Sixers have been here before. They've dealt with playing through long stretches without one of their stars. Joel Embiid missed 46 combined games in the previous two seasons.
The All-Star center is averaging 27.2 points and 9.5 rebounds. The only problem is that Embiid has played in just six of the team's 10 games. He is questionable for their next game against the Suns.
If Embiid can stay relatively healthy, the 76ers will be just fine. He averaged a career-high 30.6 points and 11.7 rebounds last season. He finished second in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic.