After the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated in Round 2 of the playoffs by the Miami Heat, the criticism came out again for star players Joel Embiid and James Harden. This was the fourth time in five seasons that Embiid and the Sixers were eliminated in the East semifinals and questions arose about whether he can lead a team in the playoffs.
Then, there was Harden who once again had a weirdly passive game in a big moment. The Beard shot just 4-for-9 for 11 points in the Game 6 elimination game and he took just two shots after halftime. Harden gave a peculiar explanation for his lack of aggression in a big moment and he received criticism for that as well.
On the flip side, the Sixers would not have been in a position to succeed if it wasn’t for their two stars and that is where the criticism can be a bit much. Georges Niang, a key reserve on the team, joined “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” and he gave his take on both Embiid and Harden.