Tobias Harris balks at claim he’s been more aggressive in Sixers-Nets: ‘I’m always locked in’

NEW YORK — Tobias Harris set a reporter straight.

The 76ers forward was told that he seemed more locked in and more aggressive in the first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I’m always locked in,” he said. “Let’s not get it twisted. Anytime I step on a basketball court, I’m always locked in.”

But is Harris always aggressive? The reporter reiterated that Harris does seem more assertive.

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“More opportunities that does lead to being assertive and being aggressive,” Harris said. “For my game … whatever’s asked of me, any time there’s opportunities for me take advantage, I’m going to look to do that. That’s always been my approach throughout my career.”

The 12th-year veteran is averaging 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists through the first two games of the series. He is shooting 60.7% (17-for-28) from the field — including 66.7% (4 of 6) on three-pointers. He also averaged 14 shots, including three three-pointers.

“I put work in with shooting,” Harris said. “I’m confident and letting it fly. And my biggest thing is always figuring out how as a whole group we can create more attempts, especially from the three-point line. … Not just for me, but for the whole group.”

Harris averaged 14.7 points this season as the Sixers’ fourth option. He attempted 11.4 shots per game, which is his lowest averaged since putting up 11.0 in 49 games with the Orlando Magic during the 2015-16 season. Harris also attempted 4.4 three-pointers this season.

Joel Embiid got away with pacing himself on the defensive end during the regular season. The Sixers center simply turned his defense up a notch when needed.

But he’s been playing at a high level against the Brooklyn Nets in the Sixers’ first-round playoff series.

“I see a different sense of urgency from him on the defensive end,” De’Anthony Melton said. “Just coverages, protecting the rim — stuff we need to keep going on this journey. Like you said, he had to pace himself. Now, we’re here. Now, we can unleash everything.”

The Nets’ methodical style has also allowed Embiid to go all-out on the defensive end without getting fatigued.

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The Boston Celtics’ strategy against the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder has always been to push the pace with the hope of tiring him out.

“Well, I just think you have to look at the profile of our team,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Well, we were 22nd in transition. So it’s not like we played at an incredible pace throughout the course of the year.”

The Nets didn’t attack the rim much during the regular season. And when Brooklyn did, it didn’t have a lot of success. And the Nets realize the pace of play slows down in the postseason.

“It’s not like we’re going to be able to flip a switch and that’s going to change,” Vaughn said. “Do we have opportunities where we can get downhill and hopefully draw some attention and spray that thing and shoot some open threes? Yes. But when we’re taking the ball out and we’re not often allowing offensive rebounds, then Jocan be at any level and play defense. That’s the biggest thing.”

One of the biggest unknowns heading into the Brooklyn series was how Jalen McDaniels would perform in his first playoff appearance. The early answer is productive.

The reserve forward averaged 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while providing solid defense through the first two games. The 6-9, 210-pounder even played the entire fourth quarter in Game 2.

McDaniels’ athleticism and length have been his biggest asset as a rotation player.

“He’s out there running the floor, and he plays the game fun,” Melton said. “He runs and he’s athletic, and he just does his stuff. And I just think it’s really important to have the length on our team, too.”

The Sixers headed into Game 3 with a 5-0 all-time record in road playoff games against the Nets. Philly is 5-4 versus Brooklyn in home playoff games.

This marks the Sixers’ fourth playoff series against the Nets, and the first since 2019. All of those series came in the first round. In every meeting, the Sixers were the third seed while Brooklyn was sixth.

The Sixers won the 1979 series (2-0 in a best-of-3) and 2019 series (4-1 in best-of-7), while the Nets prevailed in 1984 (3-2 in best-of-5). Embiid, Harris, and Furkan Korkmaz are the Sixers’ only holdovers from the 2019 squad. Joe Harris is the lone returning Nets player from that series. Vaughn was a Brooklyn assistant at the time.