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Tim BontempsESPN
After that James Harden to be introduced as the newest member Later Philadelphia 76ersThe superstar defender was asked the question of NBA world domination after swapping the blockbuster deal deadline with brooklyn network because the Ben Simmons:
How will this Cooperation with Joel Embiid Work?
“I think we complement each other,” Harden said early in his press conference on Feb. 15. “Obviously, the whole world knows how great Joel has been playing.”
Hours later, Embiid was asked the same question.
“When you look at the teams that have won in the past, do you look at Golden State [Warriors] teams, even [Los Angeles] Lakers and Milwaukee [Bucks] last year, they just moved the ball,” he said.
“[Harden is] could be there as far as the best players in the draw, so obviously you have to add that more to our offense. “
Friday night offers a first look at Harden-Embiid dynamics, as the 76ers hit the road to face Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be the first of 24 sprints to end the regular season for the Eastern Conference 76ers third-place team and their new All-Star duo, who must find things fast in the hopes of delivering Philadelphia (35-23) its first NBA title since 1983.
To see how Philly’s test could play out, we asked scouts, executives and coaches across the league what pressure points they’re watching on Harden’s debut and throughout the remainder of 2021-22.
Push and pull between Harden and Embiid
For the partnership to work between MVP 2018 and the leader for this season’s awardsit will require both of them to move away from the typical style they’ve come to love throughout their careers – to be at the center of their team’s universe.
“I have to be a pick and roll or pick and pop player just to help my teammate and help him,” Embiid said last week. “[Harden is] more than a phenomenal 3-point shooter, but I get twice as much. To be able to go up against those doubles teams, you have to be able to shoot 3 seconds”.
Of Harden’s 102 3-pointers this season, only 12 have appeared in catch-ups, according to NBA Advanced Stats’ Second Spectrum.
The push and pull will be difficult to balance, and the issue of which star will take the lead – from possession to possession, let alone the game – will be closely watched.
The Western Conference executive said: “They don’t add a person who plays a major role in the knockout game. “They’re adding a guy who’s probably going to be their highest-used player.”
Embiid is at the heart of everything the 76ers have done this season – he currently leads the NBA in usage rates for the second straight season – and is in the midst of arguably the greatest year in history. his career.
But Embiid has never played with a ball-dominant like Harden, and several of those questioned about the partnership said Embiid had to make the biggest adjustment for one fundamental reason: He usually didn’t start with the ball in hand.
“The only big thing is Joel’s adjustment to his shift in offensive role,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “It won’t just be, ‘Go put the screen shadow,’ because he won’t. But it won’t be the same as before recess.
“The way he reacts makes a big difference. If he can keep it together, I think this can go great.”
The Beards vs. pic.twitter.com/wHeMsTZvrK
– Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 25, 2022
Harden, meanwhile, has proven – including in his two seasons, 80 games with the Nets – that he’s not really full of energy without the ball in hand. And, just as Embiid adjusted to Harden having the ball in his hand, there has been much discussion about whether Harden is ready to adapt to playing no ball differently than he did before.
“Who will they play with?” a Western Conference assistant coach said. “James and Joel start immediately? Will they point to Joel in the post? When it’s Chris [Paul] and James [with the Houston Rockets]James will just stand there when he doesn’t have the ball. “
Point Protection Partnership: Harden and Tyrese Maxey
This season, Maxey – the second-year keeper in Philadelphia – has become a revelation for Simmons as the team’s starting point guard and is seen as untouchable in the trade negotiations. with Brooklyn. But now he is playing alongside Harden.
“It’s definitely been an adjustment for Maxey,” West’s chief executive said. “He’s going from playing mainly with Joel and the floor pads to being one of them.”
After shooting 30% from the 3-point range last season, Maxey this year has grown to 39% with 3.6 tries per game. But he still hasn’t proven himself to be a consistent spot-shooter – and certainly not to the extent Seth curry, a 3-pointer who has 43.8% of his career and the guy Maxey is replacing as shooting guard, has played the past half of the season for Philadelphia. Maxey fired 38.5% on capture and fired in 3 seconds compared to Curry’s 46%, according to Second Spectrum.
Free kicks had been an issue before the Curry trade: Philadelphia are 29th overall for 3-pointers this season.
“They don’t – like last year they didn’t have enough,” an Eastern Conference scout said, when asked if the 76ers had enough shots. Maybe if they’re talented enough they’ll make it through. For the really great teams, once you get the stars, the blueprint is simple: Surround them with shooting. “
Coach Doc Rivers has said that Philadelphia needs another guard, and the 76ers struggled when Maxey wasn’t on the field. In the past 15 games, Maxey’s net rating is 8.9 points in the group.
Now, there’s no reason not to have Harden or Maxey around all the time, giving Maxey plenty of playing opportunities.
“[Maxey is] a better player than I thought, and he’s a good downhill player for him,” the Eastern Conference executive said. He should do it for the second unit, although there shouldn’t be a second when one of James or Joel isn’t out there. “
Are the 76ers good enough to defend?
Even for those wondering if Harden has taken a step back this past year after a string of hamstring injuries, there is general agreement that he will be a driving force for Philadelphia’s attack.
And while Harden hasn’t exactly replaced a defensive player at Curry, there are real questions 76 players have to answer about how they will defend elite fouls, starting with the front line strikers. the beginning of the tournament.
“Oh, yes,” said Rivers, after Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum add up to 57 points inside Boston Celtics‘win last week, when asked if slowing down big strikers on the flanks was an issue.
“No doubt. No doubt. We will [do it]but we have to do better tonight in many areas. “
Rivers has said that Maxey will start with Harden, but if he decides to go in a different direction, there is no clear answer on the list. Any other available options – Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz – come with their own defects.
“Seth is gone, but you have Tyrese, you have Harden, and Harden is at his best when you switch and that’s not [assistant coach and defensive coordinator Dan Burke’s] style, and Joel will be successful in general,” said the Westerner.
Harden has delivered 42% of the pitches he’s played in this season, more than any other NBA team. But Philadelphia changed 13%, the league’s third-lowest percentage.
“The solution then is [the 76ers] must play Matisse, and faith in Matisse seems incredible at this point, “the assistant continued.” If you have to play him, then he is a negative in offense. Or you play Tyrese, a negative person defensively. “
However, on Friday night, the final discussion time will be replaced by watching the first part of this massive experiment. It will then be up to Harden, Embiid and the 76ers to find a way to make it work in time after the season.
“We’ve got to get on the floor together and try to build the chemistry,” Embiid said after Sunday’s All-Star game, looking ahead to the long haul. “I thought it would be easy to build that chemical reaction.
“Everybody’s on the same page. We’re all trying to win the championship, so that’s the goal.”
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton contributed to this story.
