James Harden Brings A Superstar Tandem
Following their loss in the Conference Semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks last season, Simmons drew a ton of scrutiny from not only the fan base but some within the 76ers organization as well. Basically being cast as the “scapegoat” for the 76ers’ demise in the playoffs last season, Ben Simmons decided he no longer wanted to play in Philadelphia and requested a trade out during the summer.
The “tug-of-war” match between the 76ers’ front-office and Ben Simmons did not go anywhere for several months, as president of basketball operations Daryl Morey had his mindset on just a few championship-level players in a Ben Simmons oriented trade.
James Harden was very high on Morey’s and the 76ers’ list in a Ben Simmons trade and they were ultimately able to get a deal done at the trade deadline. Whether or not there was tampering involved is a completely different question, but the main question in Philadelphia now becomes whether or not this team can win a title.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Grading The Nets-76ers Trade Involving Harden, Simmons
By making this trade for James Harden, the 76ers have gone “all-in” at the poker table and anything less than making the NBA Finals would be a disappointment at this rate.
So can the duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid lead the Sixers to the NBA Finals?
We cannot make a definitive answer on this until we actually see “The Beard” and “The Process” out there on the floor together, but their styles of play do actually complement one another quite well.
Harden made a name for himself in this league by being an insanely strong isolation scorer who not only finds his way to the free-throw line but is able to create a ton of space for those around him because of how effective he is in pick-and-roll situations.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Grading The Nets-76ers Trade Involving Harden, Simmons
While Joel Embiid is also a very ball-dominant player that runs a lot of isolation sets for himself, he has never really had a guard like James Harden who attracts the full attention of the opposing team’s defense.
Not only will this create more space for Embiid in the paint, but it will allow him to have a lot more one-on-one matchups in the low-post, making it almost impossible for teams to try and stop him from going for at least 30 points and 10 rebounds every single game.
This duo of Harden and Embiid should definitely work out in Philadelphia, but two players cannot win a championship. The Bulls, Bucks, and Heat all have All-Star trios, and having reliable bench scorers is extremely important in the NBA today.
