The Philadelphia 76ers gave Joel Embiid an elite running mate, acquiring James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets a year after their Atlantic Division rival got the star guard from the Houston Rockets. This actually happened. Philadelphia sent Brooklyn Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks (2022 and 2027) for Harden and Paul Millsap.
This trade is worth the price of admission for the 76ers, most importantly because of the way Harden and Embiid’s respective games gel together.
Here’s why the Philadelphia 76ers’ new star duo is a match made in heaven.
James Harden and Joel Embiid complement each other
One could argue that the 76ers have two of the 10 best players in the NBA. Furthermore, Harden and Embiid are an optimum complement to each other.
Harden and Embiid are each dominant scorers in their own right. The former gets his points from the perimeter and by getting the angle on defenders off the dribble and/or getting to the charity stripe, where he’s money. Harden presumably continues to do as such with the 76ers.
Meanwhile, Embiid goes to work and continues to plays to his tendencies. The big man does everything on the offensive end. He puts the ball on the floor, sticks jump shots at a reasonable clip from midrange and the perimeter, is a hassle to defend in the post and a considerable passer for his size.
- James Harden stats (2021-22): 22.5 points, 10.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 41.4/33.2/86.9
Harden operates from the outside in, whereas Embiid operates from the inside out. They don’t get in each other’s way. Harden is traditionally a shooting guard. In reality, he’s going to be head coach Doc Rivers’ point guard, as Harden scores and facilitates in the halfcourt at a high level.
To a degree, Harden will be what Simmons never blossomed into for the 76ers. That pertains to being a threat in the halfcourt who’s adept at creating for others. Over the last four years, the bulk of defensive attention went towards Embiid. Now it’s partially diverted with a pair of offensive haymakers present.
James Harden’s debut with 76ers on hold
Philadelphia 76ers have offensive depth for days
Even with Curry gone, the 76ers have offensive ammunition across the board. Harden and Embiid can account for half of a team’s points. Surrounding the two stars is a group of efficient and in some cases highly productive scorers and shooters.
Tobias Harris is a slimy scorer, who gets inside with ease and can drop 20 points on a nightly basis. Tyrese Maxey is a gritty bucket-getter who’s growing into a young Lou Williams. Shake Milton is instant offense off the bench and a respectable outside shooter. Furkan Korkmaz is yet another versatile and slippery player on the offensive end.
Georges Niang and Danny Green are reputable shooters. Meanwhile, Philly found a way to keep defensive stopper Matisse Thybulle, who the Nets supposedly wanted as part of their return on Harden. While he was basically out of Brooklyn’s rotation, Millsap is a steady shooter who adds interior depth and can occasionally bang in the post.
- Joel Embiid stats (2021-22): 29.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 49.8/35.8/81.2
No matter the way Rivers assembles his first and second unit, he has scoring and shooting on the floor. With Harden and Embiid in the starting five, those alongside them should have a trove of clean looks from the perimeter. Maybe Maxey comes off the bench in a super sixth man role, furthering the second unit and balancing out the rotation until crunch time?
Speaking of crunch time, the 76ers now have two players who can come through with a bucket with the game clock nearing zero.
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Philadelphia 76ers have a superstar duo in James Harden, Joel Embiid
One week ago, the 76ers were a legitimate Eastern Conference competitor. Now they have James Harden.
Concerning what they surrendered, Simmons is a dynamic, two-way player, Curry is an efficient scorer and Drummond is a walking double-double. That said, Simmons wasn’t even present, Harden is a more prolific scoring threat than Curry and their first-rounder this year has minimal value if Philly merely advances past the first round of the playoffs, as the pick will be somewhere in the mid-to-late-20s. For example, rookie Jaden Springer, who the 76ers selected with the 28th pick in last year’s NBA Draft, has appeared in just two games this season.
Are the 76ers going to put it all together and win the East over the next four months? It takes considerable time for a team to become a well-oiled machine after making a midseason blockbuster trade (e.g. Carmelo Anthony with the New York Knicks, Goran Dragic with the Miami Heat and Nikola Vucevic with the Chicago Bulls). That said, the 76ers did play well after acquiring Harris and Jimmy Butler during the 2018-19 NBA season. The point is it’s possible but more wishful thinking for them to overcome as many as three powerhouses this spring.
No matter how one slices it, Harden makes the 76ers a better team with more upside. They’ve given their star center, who happens to be having the best season of his NBA career, a premier teammate, and one imagines that Harden re-ups with the 76ers in the offseason. Once everyone gets on the same page, the 76ers are as prominent as any team in the conference and have quite possibly the best one-two scoring punch in the NBA.
James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers just threw a wrench into the Eastern Conference.