The Philadelphia 76ers made their big move at the deadline as they swung and hit a home run while acquiring James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in order to pair him up with Joel Embiid. The pairing is going to be tough for anybody to stop once Harden gets on the floor.
However, just because the Sixers added Harden doesn’t mean they’re just going to waltz to the title. There are a lot of teams in the East such as the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, and, yes, the Nets just to name some tough teams that stand in Philadelphia’s way at the moment.
Embiid joined Scott VanPelt on ESPN’s Sportscenter in the wee hours of Thursday morning and he was asked what the Sixers have to do to win a title in 2022:
It’s tough. You can look at seven teams that you can believe that they have a shot at going to the finals. We just got it all stay healthy and we got to get on the court all together to find the right way to play and really trying to figure out the best way to make sure that everybody succeeds.
With that being said, it isn’t like the Sixers will not be in the mix. Of course, they will be in the mix when the playoffs roll around in April. They will arguably have the MVP on their roster in Embiid and they will also have Harden teaming up with him.
Embiid told Van Pelt this about the Harden addition:
It’s James Harden. MVP, we know what he has done in the league in the past and I still believe that he can play at that level and we’re gonna try to get the best out of him, but he adds another dimension to our offense. Just being a playmaker and getting guys wide-open and obviously, he is one of maybe the best shot creators in league history. So we’re gonna try to take advantage of that and put him in positions where he can succeed and then it also can help the rest of the team.
The Sixers will hope to have Harden make his Sixers debut when the team returns from the All-Star break on Feb. 25 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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