Philadelphia 76ers: 3 players that must step up in James Harden’s absence

Tobias Harris

If the Sixers are going to survive and find their footing in the next month without James Harden, they’re going to need one other player to step up offensively. You can make an argument that the only reason Philadelphia isn’t worse off through the first couple of weeks of the season is because of their top 5 ranked offense.

Losing 22 points per game can’t be easy on that unit and there will need to be a collective effort to help replace Harden’s offensive punch. That’s where a player such as Tobias Harris will need to step up.

With the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, we’ve seen Harris take a bit of a step back offensively for this team. He’s off to the slowest start during his Sixers’ tenure (production-wise) and is only averaging 13 points per game. But, he is shooting good percentages – 48 percent shooting from the field overall and 45 percent shooting from 3.

Harris will get more opportunities with Harden out and if he can maintain his offensive efficiency, there’s no question he’s going to be more productive. If the Sixers are going to survive without Harden, Harris will be a big reason why.