James Harden had 27 points, 12 assists and 8 rebound in his first game for the 76ers. (1:41)
The final verdict on the Philadelphia 76ers trade for James Harden will not come for months.
Every moment Harden and Philadelphia's Embiid spend on the court together will be something of a Rohrsarch test. Sometimes chemistry and calamity will be visible in the same game.
There was a lot to learn from Harden's debut for the 76ers Friday night in a 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The bright smile on Harden's face was the enduring image from this night.
Harden said he was extremely happy after the game.
He did not elaborate, but he did not have to. His smile after finding Tyrese Maxey for his 12th and final assist of the night said it all.
Harden has rarely made headlines for anything he has said in interviews. That doesn't mean he isn't expressing himself. You can see it when he is happy. He plays basketball like he is sitting through an 8-year-old piano recital when he is unhappy.
Harden has seemed rejuvenated since he was traded to Philadelphia in February, the weight of what was making him so miserable in Brooklyn finally off of him.
There was a picture of him in practice looking to the heavens and throwing his hands up in the air.
caption this. 😀 pic.twitter.com/Dup6pfmGAj
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 14, 2022
There have been scenes of Harden yelling "layup" in practice every time he shoots one of his signature fadeaway jumpers.
Philadelphia is buying up Harden merchandise and tickets at an astonishing rate. Harden's jersey has been the top-selling jersey in the NBA since the trade.
It was okay to be happy because Harden was really good. Harden was on the court when Philadelphia beat the Wolves. Harden's best plus-minus since he was still a member of the Houston Rockets.
It was as good of a start as Morey could have hoped for, since he was the general manager when Harden grew into an NBA star.
I try not to get too high or too low, but that was a good one, Morey said after the game.
The reputation of Morey is at stake with this trade. He will either bring the 76ers their first NBA title since 1983, or he will become Captain Ahab. Harden has never seemed to be a risk to him.
James has been wanting to play with Joel for a long time. I think he always thought that he andJoel were the perfect pair.
Josh Harris gave Morey the trust to make the trade.
Harden paid off his trust on Friday night. He hit 7-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-7 from behind thearc for 27 points and 12 assists. The second-best mark of any Harden team in a game in which he had at least 20 touches in the last eight seasons was by the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is like anyone with a new group, Morey said. You want to fit in and show what you can do. Everyone knows what James can do and has watched him play for many years.
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I think those early interactions help when you're getting to know new teammates. Early play on the court helps.
The smile on his face after Friday's win shows that he is happy with the fit so far.
That was probably the most wide-open I have ever been in.
Five of Harden's 12 assists went to Embiid, who finished with 34 points, 10 rebound and nine assists of his own.
There is still a long way to go before a final decision is made about the fit of Harden and Embiid.
Starts matter. So do smiles.
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