Former NBA player Matt Barnes shares why he believes Harden is the key to both the 76ers’ title chances and Embiid’s MVP hopes.
Speaking on ‘NBA Today’, Barnes reacted to a clip of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers speaking to Harden:
Barnes continued by saying:
Getting Harden to play like he did with the Houston Rockets will go a long way for the 76ers this season. While he is unlikely to put up the same numbers as he did in Houston, the 76ers still need him to be the same type of threat on offense.
Watch Matt Barnes’ comments on the Philadelphia 76ers below (starting at the 5:21 mark):
Can James Harden and Joel Embiid lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship?
Although the 76ers were bounced in the second round of the 2022 playoffs, they were without Joel Embiid for two games. It’s impossible to know whether Embiid’s presence would have changed the outcome of the series. The reality is that the 76ers have not make a deep playoff run since drafting Embiid back in 2014.
With James Harden now in the fold for his first full season with the organization, they are well positioned to get over the hump.
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to add to their depth because of Harden’s willingness to take a pay cut. The 76ers brought in P.J. Tucker, Montrezl Harrell, and Danuel House, all of whom played with Harden in Houston. With the depth behind their two stars, the 76ers will remain in title contention if they stay healthy.
They kick off their 2022-23 season against the Boston Celtics on October 18.
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