Rivers convinced Harris will end shooting slump
PHILADELPHIA » They have been a little long, a little short, a little strong, a little soft. They have kicked right and left. They have spun in and out. Some have missed by plenty.
Doc Rivers watched every one of the errant shots, certain that the misery would end soon for Tobias Harris, a productive career shooter in a slump.
“Absolutely,” Rivers was saying Monday, before a 123104 victory over the Houston Rockets. “You have to keep believing in him.”
A career 47.7-percent shooter, Harris was shooting 49.3 percent this season, typically benefiting from good ball movement and sound form. But in the five games prior to Monday, he had shot a combined 17 for 51, including a 1-for-9 experience Saturday in Brooklyn.
“We show him film,” Rivers said. “We show him where the shots are coming from over the last or four weeks, when we’ve had our team as a whole. And they’re pretty clear where they are coming from.”
Though already with a max contract and nearly a dozen seasons of NBA experience, Harris has accepted Rivers’ coaching.
“I went into the gym today, and there he was, shooting from those shots,”
Rivers said. “So he’s working at it.”
Harris shot 5-for-8 and had 11 points Monday.
• • •
After promising to be active in the buyout market, Daryl Morey will sign veteran center Dewaye Dedmon as a backup center, according to reports.
The 7-0, 245-pound Dedmon had spent the past three seasons in Miami. At the deadline, he was sent to San Antonio, which placed him on waivers.
Dedmon was averaging 11.7 minutes and 5.7 points for Miami and will provide size behind Joel Embiid. The Sixers had been trying, without great success, to survive with 6-7 Montrezl
Harrell and 6-9 Paul Reed as their backup centers. Rivers recently made the point that the Sixers in recent years could use 6-10 Dwight Howard and 6-11 Andre Drummond from the bench.
Dedmon appeared in 11 games for the Sixers in 2013-2014, averaging 3.4 points.
• • •
The Rockets stayed overnight Sunday at a Broad Street hotel. From his window high above an impromptu celebration of the Eagles’ season, Jabari Smith went to social media to point out that a drum line, among other distractions, was affecting his sleep.
Laughing, Houston coach Stephen Silas chose not to make it an issue.
“No, no,” he said. “It was more of a joke than anything else, I think. But we did look out the window and see a bunch of police and a bunch of people kind of up and down the street, which was pretty funny. But, yeah, it was a joke.”
Just the same, it gave Rivers an idea.
“Yeah, the Philly fans did a great job of keeping them up,” he said. “So we’re very happy. Now we know where they stay, so maybe we should keep the drumbeating up outside of hotels every night.”
• • •
NOTES » P.J. Tucker left with right calf tightness in the second quarter and did not return. Rivers: “It’s nothing to be alarmed about.” … Though reporting a sore left foot, Embiid played 30:41 and scored 23 points … Shake Milton played 18:37 and scored eight points despite a sore left eye … For personal reasons, Furkan Korkmaz was not with the team … Jalen McDaniels played his first Sixers home game and scored eight points in 27:55. “The energy is just different here,” the former Hornet said. “Everyone is positive, looking at the bigger picture, a playoff run and stuff like that.” … Jaden Springer was on a G-League assignment.