Adam Hunger/Getty Images James Harden
Things have been going well for the Philadelphia 76ers lately, ever since the NBA blockbuster trade that landed them superstar James Harden in exchange for the disgruntled Ben Simmons. The team is 5-0 with Harden on the floor and has been clicking on all cylinders offensively.
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Simmons has yet to play as he still hasn’t been cleared from his back injury. The Nets have also been in a tailspin, losing 17 of their last 20 games before beating Charlotte on Tuesday to grab eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Kevin Durant just returned from an MCL sprain after missing nearly seven weeks and Kyrie Irving still can’t play in home games because he hasn’t been vaccinated for COVID-19. Going back to the playoffs last season things just haven’t gone the Nets way.
Marks Discusses the Trade
Heavy insider Steve Bulpett recently talked with Nets GM Sean Marks about the trade. Marks insists he is happy with the package from Philadelphia — including Seth Curry and Andre Drummond — and discussed how the team never really got to see the best of the Big Three with Durant, Harden, and Irving due to injuries.
“One hundred percent,” said Marks. “Yeah, I mean, I think everybody including those three are frustrated that, golly, we didn’t get to see what that really looked like. And that’s … it’s like, what if? And you hate saying what ifs. You want to have concrete evidence. We didn’t have the sample size we would have obviously hoped for, but again, in this industry, like we just mentioned before, you’ve got to make hard decisions and you just don’t have time to wait. And I think this particular deal (Simmons-Harden), as difficult as it is, we’re obviously happy with who we have. We’re excited with these three new guys and the fit that’s potentially there.
“But again, it’s potential. We haven’t seen Ben with this group yet. We have some shortcomings, and the collective group of Ben, Andre and Seth, although we haven’t seen Ben yet with the group, helps plug some holes. I think we’ve seen it so far, but we’ve got a long way to go in terms of getting everybody on that same page and clicking and playing well together. But we’re obviously very happy with what we got.”
Marks frustration with how things have worked out over the last season and a half is certainly understandable. The Nets are currently in a tough spot with the playoffs fast approaching the team still has yet to get Simmons on the floor, which won’t give them much court time together before the postseason.
Sixers in a Good Place
While the Nets are currently facing a lot of questions, the Sixers are in a really good place. Philadelphia with Harden is currently averaging 125.4 points per game, while only allowing 108.8 points per game.
Harden’s presence and passing ability have greatly benefitted Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. With Harden, Embiid has been averaging 32.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Maxey’s scoring has increased significantly going up to 24.8 points per game.
There’s just over a month remaining in the NBA regular season as teams gear up for the playoffs and right now, the Sixers and Nets are in two very different places.