One of the biggest trades last season was that of Ben Simmons and James Harden between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets. Given how desperate both the parties were for a change, the trade made all the sense. The Nets got a young guard like Simmons while the 76ers had a great player like Harden to partner up with their MVP candidate center Joel Embiid.
The Harden and Embiid partnership began with a bang last season, with both of them balling out in the first couple of games. But eventually, the results mellowed down and the waves that the team made weren’t the same anymore. But the team will be motivated enough to prove people wrong yet again next season.
In a recent appearance at Old Man and the Three podcast, big man Joel Embiid revealed upon the chemistry between Harden and the 76ers.
“I just felt like you know that was an opportunity for that suit for us to get better and we only had we only played like what 20 games together like that’s not a lot and you know to be able to win a championship like to build a team and only play 20 games together like it’s hot like he’s you know it’s gonna take a while and it’s not just about me and him, it’s also about finding the chemistry with everybody else and putting it all together.”
Definitely, a 20-game time frame might have played a role in limited cohesion between the unit come the postseason. Given that the likes of James Harden and Joel Embiid have been on the court together for such a limited time, there was a certain amount of disconnect visible between the players and ‘the Beard’.
Next season though will be make or break for the duo of Harden and Embiid. The 76ers are all in for the championship and will do everything in their power to win the title next season. They have also added some veterans to their roster as well. Philly looks ready to compete and if the Embiid and Harden duo are in full swing, a championship might not be far-fetched for them.
