The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that has yet to live up to the collective talent on their roster, and Tobias Harris is willing to acknowledge it openly.
In an appearance this week on ESPN’s “First Take,” the Sixers forward spoke about the challenges with chemistry that the team has faced this season.
“I’ll just say, and I’ll keep it real, we haven’t had the best chemistry throughout the whole year,” said Harris, per Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It took us a while to kind of get everyone together, we battled injuries from the start to the end. And right now, if we’re the sleeper, then we’re the sleeper. Truth be told, how we’re viewed, that’s someone else’s opinion, but I know when I look my guys in the eye and we have conversations, we have one goal in mind, and that’s to go out there and play and win a championship.
“That’s the only view that matters to me,” he added. “What people have to say about our team, I get it, because we haven’t met our expectations so far this year. But we have a new opportunity in Orlando to go out and just play ball, and really scratch a new surface of what we can accomplish.”
After coming within a fingernail of knocking off the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors last season, the Sixers were just sixth in the East at 39-26 when play was suspended. Trying to incorporate new players such as Josh Richardson and Al Horford became all the more difficult given the limited opportunity for them to log time next to Joel Embiid, who was sidelined with a hand injury, and Ben Simmons, who missed time with a back issue.
Even at full health, Philly dealt with some issues with fit. Still, Harris seems to be excited about what the Sixers can do with a semi-clean slate in Orlando.
