There’s a school of thought that says James Harden is house money. Whatever boost the Sixers would net from him would be more than the boost that Ben Simmons is giving them. As long as they do not subtract anything else from their rotation, what’s the real harm?
It’s a fair question, but while we’re asking them, let’s take a few moments to think through some of the ones that would arise if the ongoing discussions between the Sixers and the Nets result in an actual trade. The overarching unknown: How would this team look?
1. Can Harden and Joel Embiid raise each other’s games, or will they need to learn to coexist?
These aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, so let me try to explain. In any pairing of stars, there is a physical balance of power on the court. John Stockton and Karl Malone were about as hand-and-glove as a duo can get, one player’s strengths facilitating and enhancing the other’s. Scottie Pippen was more of a complement to Michael Jordan than vice versa. In Chicago, the triangle offense flowed through one guy.
At the end of the spectrum opposite Stockton-Malone, you could point to Harden and Chris Paul during their two years together in Houston. The pairing worked well enough to bring the Rockets to within a game of the NBA Finals, but it was difficult for both players to be the fullest versions of themselves while on the court together. In the end, there was a reason it only lasted two seasons.
Where will Embiid and Harden fit on this continuum? Obviously, any basketball team will be a better whole with both players instead of just one. And any skepticism about Harden’s attitude and injury history should subside with the realization that the Sixers would be acquiring him in exchange for a player who isn’t bringing anything to the current team (assuming they do not end up sacrificing any other players with significant present-day value). But there are plenty of reasons to wonder what Embiid and Harden will look like when on the court together.
This wouldn’t be your traditional small-big couplet. Embiid’s style at center is sort of like Harden’s at guard. He tends to freelance, and feel his way to his spots. He is as comfortable pulling up from 15 feet as he is at the rim. He does not man a station. The entire court is his domain. He is at his best when he is actively engaged.
My sense is that the onus would be on Harden to adapt in a way that allows Embiid to play his style. We’ve seen the big guy disappear before when the offense isn’t running through him. Harden has the skill set and IQ to adapt. He’ll need to be willing.
2. To what degree would Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris clunk up the ideal Embiid-Harden offense?
If you were building a starting unit from scratch, you’d surround Embiid and Harden with a couple of catch-and-shoot wings and an off-guard who can knock down a three and provide secondary penetration. This was more or less the formula Morey and Mike D’Antoni used in Houston, with players like Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, and Eric Gordon all boasting complementary skill sets.
Neither Thybulle nor Harris is such a player. Harris has never looked comfortable in a catch-and-shoot role. Back in 2018-19, he tended to disappear when sharing the court with Embiid and Jimmy Butler. Meanwhile, Thybulle has brought next to nothing on the offensive end. He rarely shoots, ranking dead last out of 244 qualifying NBA players in field-goal attempts per 100 possessions. When he does shoot, he displays neither comfort nor confidence.
3. Can the Sixers add another wing?
There’s been a lot of attention paid to the need for another point guard. Make no mistake, it’s a glaring need, one that Tyrese Maxey would go a long way toward filling upon Harden’s arrival. But just as glaring has been the imperfect situation at the three, with Doc Rivers shuffling back-and-forth between Thybulle and Danny Green in high-leverage situations. Ideally, they’d have a player who offers a better blend of the things Green and Thybulle do well as individuals. That need would only increase if Green ended up going to Brooklyn for salary purposes.
One of the most alluring aspects of an Embiid-Harden pairing is the potential of them playing separately. The ability to go an entire 48-minute game with one or the other on the court could transform this Sixers offense. Embiid’s 10-15 minutes on the bench could feature an attack emblematic of Harden’s days in Houston, with Green and Georges Niang setting up in the corners, Andre Drummond picking and rolling and crashing the offensive glass, and Maxey offering a secondary ballhandling option. During Harden’s downtime, the Sixers could revert to their current starting lineup, with Maxey the primary ballhandler, Harris as a secondary option, and Embiid and Seth Curry playing off each other. But losing Green — or, God forbid, Curry — would dramatically enhance the need for another player with catch-and-shoot ability.
4. Scoring wins NBA championships, but what about the things that the Sixers already don’t do well?
Here, we circle back to the question mark at the three. According to the numbers, the Sixers are not a bad defensive team. But according to the eyes, they have several holes that good teams can exploit, particularly on the perimeter.
You can certainly argue that replacing Maxey with Harden in the starting lineup would be a wash defensively. And Embiid’s presence at the rim goes a long way. But getting to the Finals is going to require Rivers to solve some problems that do not have obvious answers.
Against the Heat, they’d have to match up against two of the NBA’s more physical guards in Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry. The Bucks are a matchup nightmare even against the most well-equipped teams. If the Nets reemerge with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both playing at the top of their games, who guards whom?
It’s a question we can’t even begin to answer at this point, given the uncertainty of what the Sixers’ roster would even look like after a trade. One thing we do know is that acquiring Harden would do little to address their struggles on the glass and their vulnerabilities on the defensive end. Maybe that’s a problem for the offseason. But, like the entire situation, it’s worth more than a thought.
