The Philadelphia 76ers made a huge blockbuster trade on Thursday when they acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets to team him with Joel Embiid. The move vaults them back into the conversation of winning the Eastern Conference.
Harden is one of the elite scorers and playmakers in the game and the possibilities are endless with his skills combined with Embiid’s. The Sixers have the potential to be one of the better offenses in the league.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff has a great deal of experience with Harden dating to their time with the Houston Rockets. Bickerstaff was an assistant under then-coach Kevin McHale. When McHale was fired, Bickerstaff was the interim coach in the 2015-16 season with Harden leading the way for the Rockets.
So, when asked what Harden can do in Philadelphia, Bickerstaff explained his skills.
“James is a phenomenal talent,” Bickerstaff explained. “He can impact winning in a bunch of different ways. He is one of the, if not the most complete offensive player in our game, so I’m sure Doc (Rivers) is over there thinking of all the things he can do, but he’s gonna make this team better.”
The Sixers and the Cavs are among the teams that will battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference throughout the rest of the season. Cleveland entered Saturday’s contest second in the East before Philadelphia picked up a win. With Harden coming in soon, it will make the Sixers that much tougher.
“He makes his teammates better,” Bickerstaff finished. “He’s gonna make it difficult on opposing teams.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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