The Philadelphia 76ers are working on moving at a much faster pace in the 2020-21 season as coach Doc Rivers plans on using the talents of Ben Simmons a lot more along with the shooters they have surrounded him and Joel Embiid with.
As far as the half-court offense goes, the team has been running a lot more pick-and-roll than in the past, and that has been a huge help for Tobias Harris. Rivers coached Harris when both were with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he said he wants Harris to get back to making quick decisions.
So far, the addition of the shooters plus the philosophical change on offense has helped Harris begin to get back to the player he was in Los Angeles.
“It is a big part of my game,” Harris said of the new pick-and-roll equation. “A big part of my success in the league is playing pick and roll, so early on in this camp we have been running more pick and rolls, offenses, more movement, more body movement, different guys making cuts and rolling, and Joel being a playmaker at the top. So we’re running them, and they are effective and we will continue to run with them.”
At this point, the Sixers have multiple legitimate shooters that can help space the floor for everything to run more smoothly. Guys such as Seth Curry and Danny Green will be featured prominently along with Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz. That should make things easier for Harris on offense as there is less pressure on him to now be the one shooter in the lineup.
“For me, the next step out of those is making plays out of pick and rolls,” he added. “Getting shooters open, getting good looks, and it just opens the court up for everybody going forward.”
The fact the court should now be spread will make it easier for this team to run an easier offense. The shooting will be able to make it easier for Harris to be able to drive to the basket more without the paint being clogged up.
“Anytime you get more shooting, that is going to increase driving lanes, increase our ability to get a better, more efficient shots, too, in the offense,” Harris added. “I definitely think the added shooting helps that.”