James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February this year with the hope that he can help the team unlock championship-level basketball by being a dynamic guard next to Joel Embiid. This was the first time Embiid has played with an elite perimeter player, allowing him to emphasize his game towards the domination of the post.
The 76ers season didn’t work out as intended after a second-round playoff elimination because of various injuries to Embiid and a surprisingly passive Harden refusing to take control like how we had seen him do in Houston in years prior. This offseason has been one where Harden has shown he can be team-first, taking a salary cut to help the 76ers sign P.J. Tucker and reimagining his offseason workouts.
Harden spoke to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports and went in on his relationship with Joel Embiid and how often the pair talk to each other. The teammates seem perfectly aligned with what the goal is and that is to become NBA Champions.
A @YahooSports exclusive with James Harden (@JHarden13) on offseason moves, where he’s physically, partnership with Joel Embiid, his wine launch, & why he’s taking less on new deal: [Told Daryl] to ‘sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left': https://t.co/jpE3YeOyNN
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 18, 2022
“I talk with Joel frequently and we have meetings about how we’re going to play and what we need to do to help our team win a championship. When you have two of the top players at their positions on the same team, that’s a great building block. We’re going to grow together and try to lead this team to the top. I believe we can do it together.” (h/t Chris Haynes – Yahoo Sports)
If Harden can come into the season in shape, it already changes everything for the 76ers. For the last two seasons, Harden has not been in ideal shape and dealing with hamstring injuries. If he has a healthy start to the season this year, he will need to capitalize on the opportunity of playing alongside an MVP-level talent in Embiid and push for a title.
The 76ers haven’t made it past the second round in Joel Embiid’s time with the team. Hopefully, 2022-23 is the year the 76ers have their best season since the Allen Iverson days.
