Doc Rivers praises Tobias Harris for his vast improvement on defense
The Philadelphia 76ers are still working out the kinks when it comes to the new roster, but the beginning of the 2020-21 season has been marked by noticeable improvements.
One of them is Tobias Harris and his work on the defensive end of the floor. It is an underrated aspect of the game that most fans don’t see or understand, but the preparation that has to be done in order to become a good defender is something that needs to be discussed.
“It’s funny, when we were in LA, we talked a lot about preparation,” said coach Doc Rvers who coached Harris with the Los Angeles Clippers. “Everyone works on their offense and few players really work on thinking about defense going into games.
As the team prepared for the Orlando Magic on Thursday morning before their 116-92 win on the road, the team was going over final preparation and Harris was completely on the ball.
“This morning, we’re going into shootaround, and we start going through plays and Tobias knew what we were talking about,” marveled Rivers. “He knew the actions, and he was really into the game plan. That makes you a better defender, and you can see that’s an area that has been vastly improved.”
Harris was a big offensive star on Thursday going for 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and nine rebounds, but his work on the defensive end cannot go understated. For the Sixers to become the team they expect they can be, they will need him to continue this improved play on both ends of the floor.
They return home to host the Charlotte Hornets for two straight games beginning Saturday.