When Daryl Morrie finally found her man and the 76ers finally moved on from the long-hated era of Ben Simmons, the brake pumps among us cautiously noted what the 76ers would look like after the trade.
Joel Embiid has never played with a ball-dominant guard like James Hardenwe said. And Harden has never played with a more demanding big man like Embiid. It may take them a while to figure out how to play together.
So, in this regard:
It’s hard to imagine that the Sixers are creating a scenario for a better start to the new partnership between their two superstars. Embiid and Harden played two games together; they won both, beating Minnesota and New York by an incredible 46 points in the 53 minutes they shared on the court. Philadelphia squads, including the former MVP and this year’s favorite, completely burned the Wolves and Knicks to 134.5 points per 100 possessions.
That number will fall, if only because it is about 16 points 100 higher than the most effective offense in NBA history. However, if you are going to buy a ticket for Small Sample Size Theater, it’s pretty cool when you can watch Sixers rebuild Godzilla.
In a face that certainly makes Brooklyn fans grumble (and Houston fans do their best by guiding Rick Dalton), Harden hit the ground in his new trench, averaging 28 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists. per match in his first two outings. He was relentlessly effective as a scorer: 7-for-12 inside the arc, 8-for-14 beyond it, 18-for-19 from the free throw line. And after … let’s say … up and down The half-season with the Nets, the deadly leap back that Harden helped launch a long-distance revolution, seems to be online again in Philly:
It’s the same with Harden’s elite table arrangement: the new Sixer has opened an account in the City of Brotherly Love with a brilliant 28 to 5 assist assists. A handful of those pennies have come into transition, an area where the tough Sixers haven’t had much juice this season. Harden’s first few games suggested that he could give a boost to this department.
Given his penchant for rock and his preference for isolation, you may not think of Harden as an accelerator. His Rockets teams I did ranked in the top 10 at a pace in six of its eight full seasons in Houston, thanks in part to its ability to grab the ball from the edge – of 185 guards who have played at least 5,000 minutes in the last decade, Harden ranks 10th. on the frequency of rebounds in defense – and either tries to take him to the trunk alone, or throws passes to alternating teammates.
Prior to Harden’s arrival, the Sixers averaged 12.3 quick break points in 48 minutes; in the last two games they are up to 20 with Harden on the court. It doesn’t look exactly like it did when Simmons was going to be in full swing until the end, but the performance of an elite pass ready to pick up the pace in the ecosystem seems to have stimulated the Sixers to run a little harder:
Whatever low-hanging Harden fruit can help the Sixers break away during the break, however, is mostly a bonus. He was brought to Philadelphia to turn what was the top 10 half-time offense into one of the best in the league, and to ensure that the team does not roll over every time his center-claiming MVP rests. So far, so good: Philly scored a scorching 118.5 points per 100 on the half-court in Harden’s first two games, according to Cleaning the Glass. the two Embid-Harden didn’t need time to establish themselves as one of the scariest couples in the league.
Embiid has found over the past few seasons that he’d rather jump to the perimeter after placing a screen than dive hard to the edge, but he seemed very inclined to mix more rollers with Harden. Doc Rivers also added a little variety to the tandem by making his new defender curl around the screen outside the ball in a dribble with Embid, making both of Philly’s playmakers move and putting heel protection at the start of the action.
The combination of shooting, finishing, playmaking touch and vision on the court is enough to cause insomnia to the head coaches of the opponent:
If you want to change the pick-and-roll, you’d better get a pair of Bams or Giannises, because otherwise you’ll end up watching Harden cook your big one, or Embiid smashing your little ones. Play on a clean drip and give Harden space to enter dial 3. Play closer to the screen level and try to stay connected and you have to deal with Harden down one by one; overshadow the big man above his path and risk leaving the lobby open to Embiid.
Increase the pressure and try to catch Harden from above and you will allow a skilled driver who is one of the best passes in the league and the most dangerous middle class shooters to collide in fours of three around the free throw line, usually only with a smaller auxiliary protector between it and the rim. Sell to keep Harden from turning, and you give Embiid, shooting with a tic below 36 percent when threes grab and shoot, a wide-open view of threes from the top of the key.
And if you confuse any part of your coverage, chances are the ranked players aren’t. 4 and no. 8 in the frequency of free throws in the last six seasons (minimum 5000 minutes played) will make contact and reach the line. Embiid and Harden made 36 personal fouls and shot 59 free throws in their two games together; Sixers have spent nearly 46 percent of the last two bonus games, according to PBPstats.com. This may not be the most exciting watch in the history of sports and entertainment, but it certainly makes it difficult to stop a violation that seems terribly difficult even without whistles.
“It’s … I have no words for it,” Sixers guard Tyris Maxi told reporters. “[Opposing teams] I can not do anything. If they don’t go bankrupt, they will score. “
As was the case when Harden first landed in Brooklyn, giving pennies and paving the way for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to drive the truck, his arrival did not affect Embid’s violation at all. The big man scored 57 points in 53 minutes together and his already stratospheric utilization rate is actually up with Harden on the floor. That there ishowever, make the process of generating this violation look like a lot, a lot easier.
Without a facilitating partner capable of consistently bending converges, attracting protective attention and feeding it, Embiid has become a machine for creating strokes of necessity. Between 45 and 52 percent of his buckets have been without help in each of the last four seasons. Enter Harden: 14 of Embiid’s 17 goals (82.4 percent) in the last two games have been assisted, with the former MVP scoring the assistant in 11 of them.
“I’ve really never been so open in my life, seriously,” Embid told reporters after the victory over the Wolves. “The passes, I didn’t even expect it, and they just came. I’m not used to getting such passes … but he does. “
Embid is the greatest beneficiary of Harden’s skills, but he is not the only one; The focus that Harden requires on every possession has already made a significant difference in the class of looks that the other Sixers receive. Prior to trading, according to PBPstats.com, Sixers ranked 22nd in strike quality; what they managed in two games with Harden would lead the league for the whole season. All eyes are on Harden, and Embiid means Matisse Thybulle can roam the baseline and cut with impunity; guys like Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Georges Niang and Furkan Korkmaz will join some of the cleanest shots of their careers.
So will Maxi, who is like mine Bell colleague Kevin O’Connor said on Monday that he seemed extremely comfortable moving away from the ball to make room for Harden, scoring 38 points in a 15-on-21 shot in 21 minutes with his new back-up partner.
Instead of retiring to meet Harden’s arrival, Maxi maintained the same aggression he showed by establishing himself as a major playmaker before the All Star break. He sprints across the floor in transition and stands on tiptoe away from the action, moving along the arc to put himself in a position to take advantage of the attention Harden attracts by shooting or catching after the off-balance is over:
Harden also wears the tools to bring the lineups to the bench when Embiid takes his place – which, with the brief exception of Jimmy Butler’s experience, has been a serious struggle for the Sixers throughout Embiid’s career.
Long disgraced for his unwillingness to stun his best players, Rivers has so far kept one of Embid or Harden on the court for all but seven minutes – all of whom came in the second half to strike the Wolves. Harden’s early return to the bench was positive: a plus-8 in 22 minutes, still scoring a great video, with Harden dramatically increasing his use and striving.
It is unclear whether the other newcomer Paul Milsap will bring enough playmaker juice or energy in defense to earn minutes for something like a more spring presence of lobe threat / blockade – current G League MVP Paul Reed, rookie Charles Bassie, The 10-day Willie Collie-Stein contract, perhaps not so much the spring DeAndre Jordan, with whom Harden has often succeeded in the past. Who is 5 for these short stays, however, may not be so important; give Harden the ball and some shooters to pass to, and the second unit has a pretty good chance of staying afloat. And if the starters play so well, “staying afloat” in those minutes without Embiid will be all Philly needs.
Spoiler warning: They will not continue to play this good. They will not continue firing 65.5 percent on 2s in minutes Embid-Harden. From now on, Maxey won’t just give 25 a night at 76.1 true shooting. Damn, there may even be nights when Harden and Embid do not Combine for 30 free throws.
They will face opponents who are better prepared to improve on the game of two of the Knicks and Wolves, who are ranked 20th and 21st in terms of points allowed for possession from mid-January. For example: this weekend one back to back against the Cavs led by Jarrett Allen – and – Evan Mobley – and the kicking ass leading the East Heat. They will face high-octane disturbances with many goal scorers – and Tibul can keep only one of them. (Probably.)
Maybe Embiid will get a little tired of all the rolling; maybe Harden’s hamstring will start barking (again); perhaps Harris, who missed 13 of 18 shots since Harden’s arrival, will not feel comfortable as a fourth option. The honeymoon invariably ends; there will be moments of truth, if not in the next six weeks, then after the regular season gives way to the playoffs, where Embiid will still advance after the second round, and in Harden’s summary there are more valleys than peaks.
Even so: this Must work. A version of Embiid that should not be published 95 times per game Must they have more energy to spend to dominate defense. A version of Harden that can spend most of the game setting up a big man for all time and spraying the ball all over the court Must there is more gas in the tank in the fourth quarter. Maxi and Harris Must thrive, attacking smaller perimeter defenders in more space. Role-playing players who struggle to create shots for themselves Must play now that you have someone to create for them. These are just two games, but it’s proof of concept and a reason to dream big; sometimes, when the honeymoon is over, what follows is “happy for the rest of your life.”