One of the more intriguing teams at the start of the 2023-24 NBA season has been the Philadelphia 76ers. They made a major move a few days into the season, finally ending the James Harden saga and trading him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Without Harden in the lineup, many people wondered whether or not the 76ers would be contenders in the Eastern Conference. The first few weeks of the season would be paramount to the franchise’s future as Joel Embiid was someone many insiders believed could ask for a trade next.
If the 76ers got off to a slow start, those trade rumors would get louder. However, trading Harden seems to be an addition-by-subtraction situation, as Philadelphia has taken off in the early going of the season.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
With a 6-1 record, the 76ers are in first place in the Eastern Conference after defeating the Boston Celtics earlier this week. A big reason for their success has been the blossoming of Tyrese Maxey.
Without Harden in the lineup, Maxey has assumed a much larger role and made the most of it. After playing off the ball mostly last season and averaging 20.3 points per game, he has taken his game to a whole different level.
Not only is Maxey scoring more, averaging 25.4 points per game, he is handing out a career-high 7.0 assists. He has stepped into Harden’s role and is turning into a star before our eyes.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
“The Sixers appear much closer to title contention without Harden than perhaps even they projected during the Harden stalemate. If that sustains — if their championship-level No. 2 option is already in-house — the pool of players the Sixers can target with the draft picks they received for Harden becomes much wider. Their play may also afford patience: Do they have to burn assets now if they are confident the same player — or someone better — might be available later, or even sign into their cap space in July,” wrote Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Nick Nurse’s rotation got deeper and more versatile with the Harden deal, acquiring Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum and KJ Martin. Everyone is benefitting from the change in philosophy with Harden no longer in the mix, as his touches are being spread among the team evenly.
The situation has been smoothed over with Maxey playing at an All-Star level. If he can keep this up, Embiid is not only more likely to commit to the franchise long-term but be an attractive landing spot for players in trade or free agency.
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