Philadelphia survived the whole Ben Simmons saga last season that ended with them trading for James Harden. At the time, the Sixers had a respectable 35-23 record and post-trade, they managed to win 16 out of their last 24 games in the regular season. Harden showed to have good chemistry with Joel Embiid and as expected, with the two on court, Philadelphia was #1 in the league in FT/rate by a mile with a 29.0% rate.
In the playoffs, Philadelphia disappointed again by being eliminated by Miami in the second round. The series was tied at 2 with Harden having a big performance in G4 with 31pts (8-18 FG, 6-10 3pts, 9-10 FT and 9 assists). However, in the following two games, the Sixers didn’t stand a chance in both of them as Harden became weirdly passive, especially in the last game where he was scoreless during the second half.
It was another missed opportunity for these Sixers led by Embiid, who is yet to lead his team to at least the Eastern Conference Finals.
2022/23 Outlook:
Despite all the criticism, Harden signed a favorable deal for the 76ers that allowed the team to add some valuable role players during the offseason: P.J. Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, Montrezl Harrell and Danuel House Jr. Most of these players actually played alongside Harden in Houston during the Daryl Morey era, so there is already familiarity between them, something that could benefit the team in the early season.
Morey’s goal was to load the team with versatile defenders who can space the floor and it seems like he did a good job with that with the signings of Tucker, Melton and House Jr, while Harrell should also be a good backup plan for Embiid. Over the last three years, Philadelphia was ranked #12, #13 and #13 in the league on offense, but it would be a big surprise if they don’t get into the top 10 this season.
Besides having Harden and Embiid as star players, Tyrese Maxey is a good fit to play with them as he shot 45% on catch-and-shoot 3 pointers last season and he is excellent at attacking off the dribble.
The Sixers seem to have a team that is adapted to Harden and Embiid, so there won’t be any excuses if the team fails again in the playoffs. They will win plenty of games during the regular season but it will be during the postseason that the team’s and especially Harden’s success will be evaluated.