Tobias Harris and Paul Reed sported smiles as they greeted many familiar faces. With Harris, Reed and the Detroit Pistons in Philadelphia, the two former Sixers prepared to face their previous team on Wednesday night in hopes of netting their first victory of the young season.
Harris and Reed were both made available to the media following the Pistons' morning shootaround. A host of notable quotes from the two former Sixers:
• Harris on his initial thoughts returning to Philadelphia:
"It's always good to be back… It's just a little different, but it's cool… I was here for a long time. A lot of memories, a lot of experiences, so just kind of taking it all in, but overall, it's good to be back."
• Harris on how he would summarize his time with the Sixers:
"For me, it was a great experience. I can truthfully say that because it helped me grow in so many different elements of my life."
• Harris shares an interesting piece of reflection:
"Not many people know this, but as a player and as a person in this generation, when I was a kid, I used to play AAU. If something didn't work, I would jump to the next team, things of that nature. Find a way to move out. It was the first thing in my life that I saw through, the five years being here. And I do think there is tremendous growth in that, and in weathering the storm and finding ways to come through and out of it in some type of fashion, and really battle through it… It was an experience I wouldn't change. Obviously, it didn't work out the way that I personally wanted it to work out, or that the organization wanted it to work out, because we didn't reach our goal of a championship. But the experiences and lessons along the way are ones I would never change for anything."
• Reed on how he would summarize his time with the Sixers:
"It was fun. A lot of growth, got a lot of experience, so I'm just happy I was able to grow from being in Philly."
• Reed on his connection with the fanbase and the reception he expects:
"I mean, I'm pretty sure they're going to be happy to see me. I'm going to be happy to see them."
• Reed on the benefits of having Harris along for the ride amid his first time changing NBA teams:
"It helps a lot, just knowing that me and him played together for so many years and we've got that connection already. We both understand what it takes to win playoff games, so it should help down the stretch."
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