After demanding a trade, slinging mud at Daryl Morey, and being away from the Philadelphia 76ers for weeks, James Harden watched Sunday’s home opener alongside his teammates on the bench. While the Harden-Sixers saga remains unresolved, the former MVP watched his team smoke the Portland Trail Blazers to continue a strong start to the season after losing by just one point to the Milwaukee Bucks on opening night.
You’d think shaving the Beard from the Sixers would leave the offense with all kinds of bumps. But Philadelphia currently has the NBA’s fifth-ranked offensive rating. New 76ers coach Nick Nurse’s free-flowing system is working. Tyrese Maxey looks like an All-Star. Joel Embiid is showing new layers to his game. And with a strong group of role players providing versatile defense, headsy cutting, and steady shooting, the Sixers look like they’re one great addition away from being back to believing they can make a deep run.
Nurse’s tactical overhaul, compounded with Harden’s ongoing absence, has led to a seismic shift in offensive strategy. Here’s how an ideal possession now looks for the Sixers:
Maxey pushes the ball up the floor, crossing half court at the 21-second mark, and immediately finds Embiid, who attacks from there. Embiid faces a packed paint, so he passes the ball back out then flows into a dribble-handoff with Maxey, who launches a 3. It’s fluid and it happens fast, a dramatic difference compared to the sluggish pace the Sixers have played at in recent years.
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Per Synergy tracking data, the Sixers are running the third-fewest pick-and-rolls per game this season. Harden and Embiid have been one of the league’s most dominant pick-and-roll duos since they got paired up, but now the Sixers are turning to a different action as their bread and butter. Philly is running 9.3 dribble handoffs per game, which ranks as the second most in the NBA, and a little more than triple their 2.9 average from last season, which was the second least. And instead of Harden, it’s the Embiid-Maxey pairing that’s flourishing.
Playing at a quicker pace with more half-court movement, Embiid is now being put in space with the chance to facilitate, which activates Maxey, who is averaging a career-high 30 points per game, to be a downhill attacker, cutter, and shooter. Maxey has made over 40 percent of 3s in his career but is now averaging the most attempts of his career. And if a jumper isn’t available to him, Maxey can turn on the jets and get to the rim, or reset the play from the perimeter and then turn the handoff into a pick-and-roll.
Through three games, Embiid is averaging seven assists per game, up from 4.2 last season. Against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, Embiid had eight assists, with a large chunk of them coming out of handoffs. On one play, the defense was quick to send two players at Embiid while removing Maxey as an option. So Embiid responded by immediately sensing the defensive pressure and find Kelly Oubre Jr. cutting to the basket with a bullet pass:
“We talked a lot about a little more unpredictability,” Nurse said before the preseason when describing his discussions with Embiid. “The passing part of it, I just think we have to relieve some of the pressure. Guys are overplaying and sending multiple players at him and we have to find easy baskets out of it.”
Embiid is still scoring plenty at 31 points per game, but he’s unveiling a new layer to his game with his passing. Decisions are coming quickly. And his teammates are giving him open targets by continuing to move. Against the Blazers on Sunday, Embiid received the ball at the elbow but instead of giving the ball to Maxey in a handoff, Maxey set a screen for Tobias Harris, who used it to slide his way to the paint to receive an Embiid pass:
The Sixers look like a more modernized offense now, which is music to both Sixers’ fans ears and my ears after I wrote this following the Nurse hire over the summer:
“The Sixers can’t live in the past. They need to think forward. Nurse needs to empower Embiid to attack more from the perimeter, much like how Milwaukee uses Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. And much like how Denver uses [Nikola] Jokic, Nurse needs to put Embiid in different spots on the floor. … Imagine Embiid in place of Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento, screening, handing the ball off to shooters, and posting up. The Sixers won’t shift to that extreme, but they should at least install some elements from that kind of system.”
This is precisely what is happening, and it’s necessary because as good as Harden and Embiid were during the season, the two of them fizzled out during the playoffs. Fault is shared. Embiid’s efficiency fell off. Harden was unwilling to cut or shoot off the catch. Doc Rivers had a rigid philosophy. But now the Sixers have a more imaginative head coach, and Embiid has a more dynamic off-ball costar than Harden.
“Good basketball to me means cutting, moving, guys getting off the ball, the ball is moving and not sticking,” Embiid said after Sunday’s game. “You look at the last couple of teams that won the championship, Golden State and Denver, they do it through ball movement, cutting, and all that stuff.”
Despite besting Nikola Jokic for MVP honors last season, Embiid watched as his Serbian rival center hoisted both the championship and Finals MVP trophies. It certainly looks like Embiid is now adopting Jokic’s strengths and applying them to his own game.
We’re a long way from the playoffs, but this development underscores why the Sixers should be patient while they try to find the proper return for Harden. Morey can’t settle here. There is a lot at stake. If the Sixers whiff on this Harden debacle and can’t get fair value for him, then eventually Embiid could develop a wandering eye and ask out, too.
The problem is that right now only the Los Angeles Clippers seem to have interest in Harden, and they won’t even give up Terance Mann. Do the Clippers really want Harden that badly if they won’t even give up Terance Freaking Mann? The answer is no, they don’t, and they’re satisfied rolling with what they have now. So if Harden sticks to his trade demand and the Clippers aren’t an option, who else might have interest? The Heat would be a great fit if there’s a deal to be made, but most recent reports suggest Miami won’t pursue him. The Knicks? Eh, Harden would be an odd pairing next to Jalen Brunson. The Bulls? There’s a chance they’d just view him as an expiring contract, which is how other teams could eventually see him, too. Maybe that’s Harden’s best hope at this point. Get dealt to some bad team like the Bulls or Blazers, and then get bought out to then sign with the Clippers. That’d be a fine result if the Sixers can get enough in return. Players must evolve with age, and Harden has toned down his scoring in favor of playmaking in recent years. He could pair up with old Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook and the two could be the setup men for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Seems like a team destined for heartbreak, but sure, it’s an option.
The truth is that whether Harden likes it or not, Philadelphia is the best basketball situation for him. There is no better opportunity for Harden to restore his value than to embrace Nurse’s new motion system, and find a way to excel next to Embiid, Maxey, the rejuvenated Harris, and a long list of quality role players who have bought in. How could he sit courtside with his teammates and not see the potential?
Of course, this would also mean that Harden would have to shed the ball-dominant persona he’s had ever since he landed in Houston many years ago, the style of play that won him an MVP, earned him the reputation as one of the most creative scorers in league history, and will lead to a future Hall of Fame enshrinement. Yes, it’s a lot to ask. But long before Harden became a star he was the third wheel behind Westbrook and Kevin Durant, a player who learned how to move without the ball, shoot off the catch, and cut to the rim. The same high basketball IQ that made him a dominant playmaker once made him a dominant role player: Harden scored in the 93rd percentile or higher in cuts, off-screen plays, and hand-offs during his final season in Oklahoma City, according to Synergy. As unlikely as it may seem, why couldn’t he tap into some of his old habits now?
Maybe it’s foolish to even consider that Harden might be willing to make such a bold change. But if he’s unwilling to evolve, the 34-year-old is closer to the end of his career than he probably should be. Not even the Sixers will want him back at that point. If he does evolve, it would make him appealing to many more teams than just the Clippers and Sixers. After all, playing offense with togetherness is what leads to success and it’s why Philly is dramatically changing its complexion despite having the reigning MVP in tow.
“I watch a lot of basketball, I see what’s working, and ask why not do that too?” Embiid said. “But you need the right guys to execute that system. And I think we got the right guys.”
The Sixers have rewritten their playbook and moved on from their old style. Now Harden must move on from his too, one way or another.