"He in the process of cookin' folks on the reg, and now he has James Harden" - Shannon Sharpe excited by the potential of Joel Embiid and James Harden in the pick and roll
NBA and Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden and his move to Philly is seen as a better move than Ben Simmons going to the Brooklyn Nets.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, former NFL star Shannon Sharpe spoke about how the 76ers won this trade with the Nets after acquiring Harden.
"Joel Embiid - 'The Process', has been in the process of cookin' people on the regular...and now he has James Harden. Can you imagine that pick and roll, iso ball with James Harden and Joel Embiid."
Sharpe went on to speak about Philadelphia's defensive chops following Harden's arrival, saying that the 76ers have more than enough to mitigate that particular weakness in his game.
"Although Harden is not a defender, you still got Thybulle - excellent defender, Embiid - excellent defender, Maxey can get out and defend. So you can surround him with players and hide James Harden, because Joel Embiid is going to erase anything come to the paint."
The respective Harden and Simmons trade sagas concluded on trade deadline day, as the Philadelphia 76ers received Harden while Simmons went in the opposite direction joining the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons was also joined by Seth Curry and Andre Drummond as the Nets bolstered their roster with shooting and another big man presence.
.@ShannonSharpe believes the Sixers benefit more from the trade with the Nets:
"Joel 'The Process' Embiid has been in the process of cookin' people on the regular...and now he has James Harden." https://t.co/CmuWLj8WkC
Why did the 76ers trade for James Harden?
The biggest issue the Philadelphia 76ers seem to have with Ben Simmons is his hesitancy in shooting the ball. You definitely won't find that to be an issue with James Harden as the former Houston Rockets superstar is one of the finest scorers the game has ever seen.
Harden thrives on iso-ball situations and can score at will from the line, mid-range and from beyond the arc. Such attributes led him to multiple scoring titles during his time with the Rockets and he garnered the praise of being one of the best scorers in the game. The 76ers needed someone like Harden to lift the scoring burden of their superstar Joel Embiid as the big man's health has always been a question mark.
James Harden tonight:
37 PTS
10 REB
11 AST
13-24 FG
4-8 3P
It’s his 8th 30-point triple-double with the Nets, already by far the most in franchise history. The next player (Jason Kidd) has 3. https://t.co/HSmggkVlm5
Another of Harden's biggest attributes is his ability to act as a pure point guard when his team needs him, as he is an excellent floor general and can orchestrate the offense expertly. This was primarily Simmons' job for the 76ers, but the team will now also be getting a professional scorer as well as a facilitator in Harden.
The biggest issue with Harden has to be the injuries he has sustained over the last few years, coupled with more recent weight management issues. The superstar guard has dealt with perennial hamstring issues dating all the way back to 2018.
There are also questions surrounding his defensive deficiencies and whether they could hinder Philadelphia. Offensively, Harden brings a whole new dimension to the 76ers from that of Simmons, however the former's defense is not at the same level as the latter's. This area of the game could potentially be the difference between the 76ers winning the championship or going out in the Eastern Conference Finals.