As Harris makes his return to Philly, Nick Nurse and the Sixers anticipate a tough fight. Whenever former players face their old teams for the first time, there always seems to be some added motivation. For a player like Harris, who had a lot of ups and downs during his Philly tenure, he was sure to be on a mission to get back at his former team on Wednesday.
“Obviously, [he had] a rocky year last year,” Nurse told reporters on Tuesday. “A rocky tenure to be honest.”
For a player who was often viewed as a third-option at best on offense, Harris’ production was helpful. However, with the veteran forward having a max salary that would increase every season, Harris struggled to live up to the pressure the checks brought.
“I just thought about the weight of what was ever going on about his contract and his play. Did it match up? All that kind of stuff wasn’t much fun to be a part of,” Nurse admitted.
Harris played over 350 regular season games for the Sixers across five seasons after signing his deal. He produced 18 points per game, while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc. On the glass, Harris accounted for seven rebounds per game, and dished out three assists per outing.
While the criticism for Harris often caused a lot of frustration and tension between the veteran and the fan base, Nurse has nothing but positive things to say about his former player.
“A really good guy who was a great pro and tried really hard and worked really hard and produced a lot,” Nurse finished. “I really like him. I like him as a person. I like him as a player. He’s a versatile guy and all that kind of stuff.”
