Pairing Joel Embiid with James Harden was a no-brainer move by Daryl Morey. When you take one of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters and playmakers and put him alongside one of the NBA’s best defenders and interior scorers, you can expect the results to be pretty good.
Still, making it work on the court is not going to be a walk in the part.
On ‘Inside the NBA’ on Thursday, Charles Barkley shared that truth with audiences ahead of All-Star weekend:
“I think it’s gonna be really complicated. James plays like James plays. He is a terrific one-on-one basketball player. Joel Embiid is probably the most dominant player we have in the league today. He’s like a miniature Shaq. He’s amazing. But they’re gonna have to find a way — this notion that it’s ‘just going to work’ no it’s not just going to work because one of them ain’t gonna have the ball. There’s only one ball out there. The other one’s gonna have to find a way. It’s gonna be harder on James cause Embiid can play defense and rebound. James is the guy, he’s gonna score he’s gonna get some assist. But this notion that this thing is gonna be smooth, not true at all.”
"This notion that this thing is gonna be smooth, not true at all."@SHAQ & Chuck discuss how Harden's arrival in Philly could affect the Sixers' chemistry. pic.twitter.com/JeJsForolZ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 18, 2022
James has played with a star big man before. In his early years with the Rockets, he was paired with Dwight Howard who, at the time, was considered one of the best bigs in basketball.
At first, it seemed like a decent enough partnership and the Rockets had some success in the regular season.
In the playoffs is where it all fell apart, and the two could never capitalize on the combination of their talents.
Embiid is obviously more skilled than Dwight, especially on offense. He can step out and hit jumpers, which is something Howard could never do.
But there is some reason to doubt when it comes to the Sixers. After multiple failed experiments, both Harden and Embiid have to prove they can adjust to maximize the other’s game.
We’ll see if they have what it takes.
