Sixers player grades: Tobias Harris, shorthanded group falls to Blazers

Maxey got off to a good start in terms of distributing the ball. He got into the paint and he made a few nice plays to set up his teammates and he then was able to get into a rhythm with his scoring. The Sixers are relying on him so much right now in order to make the offense hum and it’s important to do so against a Blazers team that can get hot at any moment. When the Sixers were struggling in the second quarter, his offense was a welcomed sight. He was also huge in the fourth quarter to help Philadelphia get back in the game a bit. He also had zero turnovers which is also impressive. He struggled against Damian Lillard on the defensive end, but that’s also Damian Lillard so it is what it is.

Curry had a tough night against C.J. McCollum in this one as he continued to get caught up on screens that allowed the Blazers guard to get hot from deep. On the other end, Curry was not able to get into the same groove he was in against the Nuggets on Thursday as it was just an overall tough night for him. He’s being asked to do a lot at the moment so it’s understandable to see some struggles every so often.

The Sixers got an aggressive Harris to start this one. As the Blazers got off to a hot start, Philadelphia needed somebody to provide some offense and the veteran was able to do so. However, and this is not a knock on Harris necessarily, there were too many isolation plays for him against Robert Covington. Harris is obviously a guy who can score in those situations, but he is better when he gets his offense in the flow of things. He got a couple of triples to fall in the second half when the ball was whipping around and he was able to score well in that way.

Starting Niang on this roster is always a gamble with Harris’ best position being the power forward spot, but his 3-point shooting is always welcomed on this team. He did a solid job of moving without the ball in order to find some open looks from deep and he is a guy who understands what it means to space the floor. He did have some struggles on the defensive end, however.

For the third straight game, Drummond had a tough matchup at the center spot in Jusuf Nurkic. He had a tough start as he was not able to really make a big impact on the game. Nurkic bullied him for a bucket and he only grabbed one rebound in the first quarter as Portland targeted him on the glass. He did not score until late in the second quarter and he got into foul trouble in this one. This has been a tough road trip for the energetic big man.

After missing seven games due to being in the league’s health and safety protocols, it was good to see Thybulle back out on the floor and making his usual impact. He made a nice cut off the ball for a dunk and he also did not hesitate on any of his two triple attempts which is always a good sign. There is a lot to like about Thybulle in this one as he even had some nice moments defensively against Lillard.

The rookie big man continues to impress as he came in and had a nice impact in his initial run. He finished well around the basket and he pulled down three rebounds while being very solid defensively against Nurkic and Larry Nance Jr. He is another young big man who still has to develop, but he has a very nice base to work with.

When Milton is being aggressive and getting into the paint, it makes a big difference for the bench unit’s offensive production. With Korkmaz struggling the way that he has been, it is important that Milton gives the team some bench scoring and he continues to be a leader. He and Bassey really saved the bench unit from what was really a tough night for that group collectively.

Korkmaz really can’t throw a rock in the ocean right now. It’s tough to justify really playing him right now because he isn’t doing anything else to positively impact the game at the moment. He’s struggling on the defensive end as well.