Tobias Harris assumes ‘quarterback’ position for Sixers offense in Joel Embiid’s absence

Harris excelled as a ballhandler and scorer, producing 32 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He also hit a new career milestone he produced his 14,000th career point.

Tobias Harris of the Sixers celebrates after a made basket against the Celtics during the second half of their game at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 8, 2023.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

by Keith Pompey

Published Jan. 11, 2024, 10:51 a.m. ET

ATLANTA — The 76ers needed Tobias Harris to assume a larger role.

With Joel Embiid sidelined, Sixers coach Nick Nurse didn’t mince words when describing how Harris would be utilized Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks.

“He’s got to be a little bit more involved as a handler and a decision-maker on offense,” Nurse said before the game. “A lot of times you’ll see Joel with the ball in the middle of the floor. You’ll see that more with Tobias tonight. He’ll be quarterbacking a little bit more than usual, and it’s good.

“I think he needs more reps at it. I think he really likes doing it … and it keeps him involved in other areas.”

As Nurse also noted, it provides Harris opportunities as a primary scoring option. And the power forward was looking forward to that.

Harris had one of his best games of the season and reached a scoring milestone Wednesday as the primary ballhandler in a 139-132 overtime loss at State Farm Arena. He finished with 32 points on 12-for-24 shooting along with 10 rebounds and four assists. Harris went 7-for-7 from the foul line.

Ten of his points came in the fourth quarter, when he shot 4-for-7 and moved into 188th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 14,006 points. He surpassed former two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer (13,976).

“It’s a great milestone,” Harris said of surpassing 14,000 career points. “I’ve just got to keep it up. At the same time, I think it just comes with consistency, being sharp with my game and knowing my strengths and my weaknesses on the floor, playing to my strength more at the end of the day. Hopefully, I’ll get a whole bunch more.”

Harris, in his 13th NBA season, has averaged 16.2 points in 862 career games with the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sixers (23-13).

Against the Hawks (15-21), Harris did everything Nurse said he would. The standout generated good looks for himself and teammates. And his success wasn’t surprising because he produced similar performances during the 2022-23 season while Ben Simmons held out.

“He certainly was like, ‘I talked about quarterbacking a little bit more,’ ” Nurse said, “a little bit more focal position for him.

“He did a lot of really good things in transition. He did a lot of good things in his matchup as well. You know we needed it. We needed the offense taken over.”