Coach Doc Rivers sees progress, growth in Sixers star trio of players
Heading into the 2020-21 NBA season, everybody knew the Philadelphia 76ers two stars in the form of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The star duo has constantly been terrific for Philadelphia every season and the two of them know what must be done.
What some may not have foreseen is that the Sixers now have a bit of a Big 3 forming in Philadelphia.
Embiid, Simmons, and Tobias Harris have been leading the way for Philadelphia all season and they are the reason why they are the No. 1 seed and they have a 2-0 lead in their Round 1 series. In their Game 2 win, Embiid and Simmons had 22 points each and Harris had 19 as the Washington Wizards had no idea how to defend all three players.
“They have grown and that’s key for us,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I think, through the year, you just see so many different coverages on how they’re going to defend Ben. Every night, they’re going to defend Ben in a different way.”
The Sixers have been working on trying to put the right pieces surrounding their star duo and Harris is proving to be that third star. His season averages of 19.5 points on 51.2% shooting were worthy of being an All-Star, but he was not selected.
His rise has allowed the Sixers to attack every coverage they see. Opposing teams will send a lot of different coverages in order to try and defend Simmons and Embiid, but then there is now Harris that teams have to worry about.
“What’re they gonna do with Joel?” Rivers continued. “They’re gonna front, they’re gonna trap, they’re gonna do the walkovers, are they going to trap Tobias? Are they going to not switch with him on pick-and-rolls? I think through the year the guys are reading that. They’re seeing it. They know it early and they’re starting to take advantage of the coverages. When they can do that without coaching, you know your team has made a big step.”
This continued progress from the star trio should have the Sixers thinking they can win it all in the 2020-21 season. The three of them have been great all season long and they are all off to a great start in the playoffs.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
