Getty Joel Embiid (L) and James Harden (R).
Arguably the biggest reason why the Philadelphia 76ers pursued James Harden was to put a reliable second option next to Joel Embiid. With the All-Star center heading into his prime seasons, Daryl Morey is looking to maximize his talent. It did not take long for Harden and Embiid to click on the floor and be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Recently, the people over at Bleacher Report ranked the top superstar duos in the NBA right now. Despite only spending a short amount of time together, Embiid and Harden managed to crack the top five. The Sixers stars were named the fourth-best pairing in the league, one spot ahead of Los Angeles Clippers All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Obviously, the 76ers’ superstars have more to prove in the playoffs than just about anyone else we’ll cover. But the idea that they can’t succeed at the highest level may be a little overblown. Not that those who’ve given up on Harden’s game or Embiid’s ability to stay upright for an entire postseason will care, but those two also completely dominated during their short time together during the regular season, running up an obscene plus-15.9 net rating that ranked second in the league among pairings that logged at least 600 minutes together.
It also doesn’t hurt their case that Harden and Embiid were the most dominant pick-and-roll combo in the league last year. There’s nothing abstract about how well they work in direct cooperation with one another.
Last season, Embiid and Harden combined to average 51.6 PPG, 18.8 RPG, and 14.7 APG.
Sixers Receive Stellar Grade For Offseason Moves
Since the night of the NBA Draft, Daryl Morey has been hard at work re-tooling the Sixers’ roster. His first move came via trade when he sent Danny Green to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. Then, at the start of free agency, he managed to land three-and-D forwards P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. Following this array of moves, Morey and the Sixers received an A grade on Bleacher Report’s offseason report card.
Joke about the Rockets reunion all you want, but the Philadelphia 76ers may have snagged the top available free agents at two positions. Tucker and House were arguably the best power forward and small forward on the unrestricted-free-agent market. Maybe that says as much about how shallow the free-agent pool is this offseason as anything else, but still, give credit where it’s due.
With James Harden expected to take a massive pay cut this year, this grade could jump to an A+ once things are said and done.
Sixers Fans Begging to See More Isaiah Joe
As the NBA Summer League rolls along, one of the biggest standouts on the Sixers’ squad is Isaiah Joe. The former second-round pick is averaging just under 14 points per game and shooting a red-hot 72.7% from beyond the arc. As his impressive run continues, fans are begging for Joe to see more time on the floor this upcoming season.
Everyone always talks about Isaiah Joe’s size but I feel like I have seen him play some pretty great post defense in preseason and the summer league against much bigger players
Across his first two yers in the NBA, Joe has appeared in 96 regular season games. In that time, he averaged 3.7 PPG and shot 34.9% from deep.