The Philadelphia 76ers knew this would be an experiment. They knew it would take some time before they find their rhythm offensively. That’s especially true for big man Al Horford who’s shooting percentages have been down across the board in his first 13 games with the Sixers.

In Wednesday’s win over the Knicks, Horford struggles shooting 3-for-11 for seven points and it seemed as if he was just missing some easy looks he would normally knockdown. Everything is still relatively new for the All-Star as he is beginning to really try and find his niche on the offensive end for Philadelphia.

He said at practice on Thursday:

I definitely think that for me it’s still a work in progress and understanding my position and when the shots are coming. I went through a similar transition when I got to Boston and I’m kind of trying to understand what my place is here and figuring that out.

Part of the adjustment is moving back over to the power forward spot and playing with a big man such as Joel Embiid. It is a different role for him in terms of trying to find his offensive role and where his shots are going to be coming from.

He added:

It’s just the more organized that we are and the more that we understand kind of where we want to be on the court, that determines that. For me, it’s just making sure that I stay ready. I’ve been putting in the work so I just have to continue to do that. I know I’ll be fine.

Horford is a career 36.5% shooter from deep, but he is shooting 32.2% from deep so far with the Sixers on 4.5 attempts per game and his overall field goal percentage is down to 43.4% after it was at 53.5% in 2018-19 with the Celtics. Due to the way the league is trending and because of the way the Sixers are built, it’s putting more pressure on Horford to step up and shoot more 3-pointers.

Philadelphia is a team that is short on “sharpshooters” so it puts the onus on Horford and others to really figure out the spacing. It’s a work in progress right now.

He stated:

It’s not as simple. It’s a little more complex. I just think that we have the mentality that we want to attack, we want to get in the paint, we all want to get in there and score, and whether if I have a mistmatch of if Ben(Simmons) has a mismatch, we’re all in there. It’s just recognizing in the middle of a game if you see someone else then you kind of find your place and respace and things like that. I think they’rell good intentions. The more games that we play, I feel like the better things will be.

Once again, this will not be an overnight process. This will definitely take some time in order to find their groove. Their next chance to grow will be Friday when they welcome in the San Antonio Spurs.