Getty James Harden #1 and Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers look on during the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center on December 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
There were high expectations for the Philadelphia 76ers when the chips were put in the middle to pair Joel Embiid with former MVP James Harden last season. While the postseason will still be the true test if the duo can accomplish the goals they desire, there are some intriguing signs between them. There has been some notable growth in their ability to share the court and maximize each other since Harden returned from injury and both are lighting up the stat sheets as a result.
Through the first 32 games in the season, Embiid and Harden are on pace to be the first teammates to lead the NBA in scoring and assists since George Gervin (32.3 points per game) and Johnny Moore (9.7 assists) of the San Antonio Spurs in 1981-82.
Embiid is currently leading the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive season with 33.1 points per game. This would be his second consecutive season to win the scoring title and make him the first big man to do this since Bob McAdoo won the scoring title for three straight seasons between 1977-78 and 1979-80.
It should be noted that Harden is not technically listed as leading the NBA in assists as he has not reached the requirement of playing at least 70% of the Sixers’ games, although as long as he does not miss more than 10 of the remaining 50 games he will meet this mark. Harden’s 11.1 assists per game are more than Tyrese Haliburton, who is listed as the NBA’s leader with his 10.3 assists per game.
James Harden and Joel Embiid carving defenses up with this Two-Man … this is art!
Stars Speak on Partnership
Both Harden and Embiid have been open about the work in progress that the growth of their partnership has been. As Harden discussed following the recent victory over the Clippers in which Harden tied the Sixers’ franchise records for assists in a game with 21, “Constant work. We talk about it. Communication, going out there, do it. We don’t really rep it because of practice, but the communication is important. Then, obviously, we want to see each other succeed. If I ask him something, tell him something, and vice versa, we’ll do it,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Embiid was complimentary of his costar as well and recently put it to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We just know how to play, we just know what to do. I think the biggest thing that we’ve gotten better at is the timing. He’s such a good playmaker that he just finds me and sees the plays that not everyone else might see.”
Sixers Outlook
These types of impressive statistical outputs should be expected to continue as both players play a heavy role in the offense. Embiid currently ranks second in the NFL in usage percentage, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, with a 37.1% usage rate. Harden also is recording a 26.0% usage rate on the season.
Teammates to score 40+ points and dish out 20+ assists in the same game over the last 25 seasons 😳
2022:
Joel Embiid/James Harden
2018:
Paul George/Russell Westbrook
2016:
DeMarcus Cousins/Rajon Rondo
There were concerns at the start of the season the Sixers’ offense was too isolation-heavy which Doc Rivers spoke openly about. While both of these players tend to lean on their own shot creation at times, there has been progress in their willingness to optimize each other. This will be further put to the test as Tyrese Maxey is set to make his return.
It is great to see the production occurring in the stat sheet, especially considering the way it has converted to team success. The focus for the remainder of the season will be on continuing to grow their chemistry before attempting to overcome their playoff shortcomings together when all eyes will be upon them.