Sixers coach Nick Nurse believes Tobias Harris is ‘too good’ to stress over recent struggles

Tobias Harris was in a funk, missing 14 of 18 shots in his last six quarters before Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. That came after a torrid start to the season that was his best as a Sixer.

So how do the Sixers get him back on track?

“Just to continue to stay with ... the things we want him to do,” coach Nick Nurse said, “and always look at what we can improve, and put him in little situations. I think we found a few things after [Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards] that we can do to help him.

“But you know not to make too big a deal out of it. Just use football and baseball, every now and then, a guy [who] can’t hit for a few games, and then all of a sudden he’s back.”

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Nurse feels Harris is “too good” and fits in “too well” with the Sixers to blow his struggles out of proportion. The power forward took averages of 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steal into Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

“He made a whole bunch of what I would say [are] game-winning plays,” Nurse said of Harris’s contribution to the Sixers’ 131-126 road victory over the Wizards. “Like, there was a huge block-out on the weak side with about a minute, 40 [seconds] to go that he just crushed [Kyle] Kuzma, grabbed the rebound. He continued to make some really nice plays.”

Nurse said he reinforced that message to Harris.

“That’s what I always say, ’You got to keep doing those things and I think good things will happen.’”

Marcus Morris is aware that his time as a Sixer could be short.

The team acquired the North Philly native from the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1 in the blockbuster three-team trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers. Morris, who has an expiring contract, could be dealt in a package for an A-list player to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

“I understand the business part,” he said. “I know we [are] actively in trade [rumors]. But just to say I put the jersey on, it’s like a career-defining moment for me. And being home is everything. Seeing my family, seeing people I grew up with, and it’s just everything, man.”

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The most enjoyable part about being in Philly is bringing his sons to the games and showing them where he’s from.

“The love I get from home, it’s just, you know, this is 100-to-none,” he said. “So I enjoy being here, man. I enjoy putting a jersey on. Like I said, if anything does change, I’m just happy I had a chance to play at home.”

The 13th-year veteran is averaging 4.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 12.3 minutes through 13 games with three starts as a Sixer. He previously played with the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Clippers.

Patrick Beverley is in awe of Embiid’s overall basketball ability.

“Like I said earlier in the season, you think you’ve played with great players before until you play with Joel,” said Beverley, a 12th-year veteran who signed a one-year deal with the Sixers on July 9. “Obviously, I’ve played with a ton of bigs. A ton of players, period: Kawhis [Kawhi Leonard], the James Hardens, the Karl-Anthony Towns, the Anthony Edwards. I mean, a lot of really, really, really good players.”

Embiid was on pace to claim his third consecutive league scoring title, averaging a league-best 33.1 points through 17 games.

He also ranked fifth in rebounding (11.4) and 11th in blocks (1.8). And his career-best 6.6 assists per game ranked 17th in the league.

Embiid was also coming off his best game of the season, finishing with 50 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists against the Wizards. He made 19 of 29 shots and 11 of 13 free throws.

“Joel brings a different aspect of the game,” Beverley said. “He’s so dominant. He doesn’t rely on his jump shot a ton. If it’s not going in, he knows how to get to the free-throw line. So he’s probably one of the most dominant players I’ve ever played with.”