Joel Embiid

If you’re a stickler for floor balance, you’ll prefer this proposition to the previous one.

Joel Embiid and James Harden were the most efficient pick-and-roll duo in the league for the latter half of last season. Their chemistry appeared instantaneous. Unfortunately, Harden’s tank appeared to run out of gas by the postseason.

At 32, can we be sure that won’t be a trend with Harden? Are his best days behind him? If they are, could Embiid’s days in Philadelphia be numbered?

On some level, this feels like the last chance for The Process to bear fruit. If Harden is past his prime, and the Sixers fail to make a deep postseason run in 2022-23, don’t be shocked if rumors of Embiid’s discontent begin to surface.

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In that event, he ought to look to the younger model. Luka Doncic bears many similarities to Harden. He also happens to be nine years younger. Something tells us that together, he and Joel Embiid could be the most efficient pick-and-roll duo in the NBA.