James Harden got what he wanted and managed to leave Brooklyn at the NBA trade deadline, with Brooklyn and the Philadelphia 76ers agreeing on a blockbuster trade.
Brooklyn received Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2022 unprotected first-round pick and a 2027 protected first-round pick. Philadelphia received James Harden and Paul Millsap.
On ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Tuesday, former NBA guard JJ Redick said his expectations for Harden are “fairly low.”
JJ Redick’s expectations for James Harden ‘fairly low’
NBA analyst JJ Redick commented on his assumptions on James Harden’s game:
“My expectations for him right away are actually fairly low. I think this is about getting him healthy … I wanna see that explosive James Harden that we saw prior to his hamstring injury last year.”
Harden said he played Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks in June with a Grade 2 hamstring strain when his team had it listed as tightness.
James averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game in 44 games this season. These averages are impressive in any case. But considering Harden has been dealing with the hamstring issue, his numbers stand out further. He has recently been out while recovering from the hamstring injury.
Harden’s first game back is possibly Friday night, when Philadelphia faces the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota won the first meeting 121-120 in overtime on Nov. 27. Harden could make a difference this time around.
Even without Harden being as explosive as he was before the injury, Joel Embiid should be able to take up much of the work. With Harden running the point position, his basketball IQ alone will aid Embiid. When James is back to being the explosive player he was, the team will excel more, but Harden should make a positive impact regardless.
Of the Harden-Embiid duo, Redick said:
“This is Joel Embiid’s team. He is the MVP. He is the most dominant force in basketball. So that to me is the most intriguing thing about this team – is how these guys are going to coexist.”
Both Embiid and Harden were chosen for this year’s All-Star Game. Although they were on separate teams and Harden could not play, seeing two of the best fulfill their positions together is about to happen
Embiid is a front-runner for the MVP award. He is averaging 29.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season. Philadelphia (35-23) is in third place in a tight Eastern Conference race as it awaits Harden’s first step on the court.
Matt Barnes added to the Harden-Embiid conversation:
“You can’t just plug superstars in and expect it to be dynamic chemistry right away. Again it will be interesting, this arguably is the best duo in the game.”
Regardless of ability, entering a new space with new people is always a challenge. But Harden is a player with a high basketball IQ and has always been known to complement players well. If he can let Embiid continue to dominate in the ways he is comfortable while accenting him properly, the 76ers will benefit. If he can go further and patch the holes left by Seth Curry’s shooting, the team should do great.
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Harden is still going to have to rehab properly while filling a new role on a new team, so the challenge awaits. How well he meshes with Embiid remains to be seen. Only then will the NBA see if these two can become “arguably the best duo in the game.”
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