The Philadelphia 76ers will finally see James Harden in their uniform for the first time Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and 76ers star Joel Embiid said Harden has been far different than the person he heard about before his arrival.
It is funny, you see all the stories that are out there, and we all see it. He is a great person, a great personality, and fun to be around. Everything, really.
His presence on the team and on the floor has changed a lot since he arrived. I am excited for that to continue on the court and I think that will help us a lot.
Two weeks after Philadelphia traded for Harden, and three weeks after he played his last game as a Brooklyn Net, the 10-time All-Star is ready to return to the court.
He was not listed on the injury report at all on Friday, having participated fully in Thursday's practice at the University of Minnesota, and appears ready to go as the 76ers begin a 24 game sprint to the end of the regular season.
The game has been preceded by a lot of hype, but 76ers coach Doc Rivers said he has not had to talk to his players about managing expectations.
No. The guys know, Rivers said. We have a new team with just bringing James on, and we have twenty-four games left. We will have to figure it out on the fly.
Speed dating is what this is.
The two most important people who have to build chemistry together are, obviously, Harden and Embiid, who spent the end of Thursday's practice shooting 3-pointers together and then engaging in a brief game of one-on-one. He joked that he has a better stepback jumper than Harden, but that he still has work to do to match Harden's prowess with the shot from 3-point range.
He said that he is impressed by how smart Harden is from the limited time they have been together.
I don't think it will take long for the team to get used to each other.
He is a great basketball player, but he is also very smart. At the end of the day, it starts at the top with the guys that we have.
We have to want it, he has to want it, and the other guys are going to follow. I think it will be smooth and we will get going.
Beyond Harden and Embiid getting used to one another, the two questions Rivers has to answer are who will be the team's fifth starter and how those four main offensive players will be split up throughout the game.
Since the trade, Rivers has said that he plans to have at least two of those four players on the court at the same time. He said that one of Harden and Maxey should always be on the court, which would eliminate the issue of a true lead guard when Ben Simmons was away from the team.
While Rivers downplayed the issue of who the fifth starter will be, he said the goal for the next 24 games is to figure out the partnerships that work best before the game.
Rivers said that at least they know what they like best.
The 76ers will go as far as the partnership will take them. It's not going to be hard for Harden to fit in with the group Friday, says Embiid, who took a poke at Simmons in discussing Harden's ability to fit in. He said the most important thing is everyone being aligned toward the same goal.
It's great for us as a team, and it puts a lot of pressure on everybody. I am excited for everyone to play at another level, especially me, so I think it will be fun.
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