Impress J. Terrill/Associated Press
Philadelphia 76ers energy forward Tobias Harris didn’t mince phrases on ESPN’s First Rob on Friday. He said the group hasn’t lived up to expectations this yr however didn’t form excuses.
He did say, on the different hand, that the time a long way flung from basketball within the route of the coronavirus pandemic has allowed the group to invent chemistry.
“I will withhold it staunch,” Harris said. “We now have gotten now no longer had the ideal chemistry at some stage within the total yr. It took us a whereas to roughly get each person collectively. We battled injuries from the starting up to the tip.”
Harris (19.4 sides per sport) is the ideal Sixers participant to seem in and start all 65 games. Injuries have restricted point guard Ben Simmons to 54 games and center Joel Embiid to comely 44 games.
Simmons, Harris, Embiid, Josh Richardson and Al Horford have started ideal 19 contests collectively. And the Sixers are comely 11-8 in those games.
“We now have gotten now no longer met our expectations to this point this yr,” Harris said. “But we have a brand new different in Orlando to hump out and comely play ball and in actuality scratch a brand new floor of what we are in a position to function.”
Harris used to be firm: This group can get the title. This could well perchance comely want to plow thru a high-heavy Eastern Convention to support out so.
Philadelphia will resume its season Aug. 1 against the Indiana Pacers sooner than ending the yr against the San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Portland Path Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets. Of those eight teams, ideal the Pacers, Raptors and Rockets have a winning document.
The window is aloof start for the Sixers to raise the title. When the players reunite, they’ll are attempting and reset their chemistry and unique they’re a contender.
“I imagine that when we hump out right here and hump hoop, we have a gamble to raise a championship,” Harris said. “We’ll be healthy, so a lot healthier than we were sooner than. Having Ben to be recovered and completely healed is gigantic for us. And we comely gotta hump obtainable and play basketball. This, for us, is roughly be pleased an AAU match.”