Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Knicks
Harden’s home debut.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
I can’t remember the last regular season game in Philadelphia carrying as much juice as this one — with James Harden making his Sixers debut, the Sixers hosted the New York Knicks tonight for a rematch after Sunday’s contest. Here’s what jumped out to me tonight:
Pro: Harden dazzles in Philadelphia debut
Harden played a game tonight that, for his standards, just seemed pretty solid but nothing to write home about.
Harden scored 26 points on just 13 shot attempts, dished out nine assists and grabbed nine rebounds.
Harden just seemed like he had a casual night, and put in a performance that would be the best game in most players’ careers. And you can get used to seeing that.
Harden is obviously one of the greatest individual players in the history of the NBA: he’s the best isolation scorer the league has ever seen, and maybe the most proficient engineer of offense that I have ever seen.
If it hasn’t sunk in yet: the Sixers have two surefire MVP-caliber players on their roster right now. With Embiid on a roll unlike any he’s been on before and Harden looking a lot like the version of himself we saw in Houston -- and don’t forget Tyrese Maxey, who has thrived as the third option -- this team looks terrifying right now.
Con: Sixers planning to sign DeAndre Jordan
Jordan, who just asked his way off of the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster, is reportedly going to soon reunite with his former coach Doc Rivers in Philadelphia.
I won’t be too harsh here, because this is a minimum-salary player on the 15th and final roster spot. And Jordan must outshine plenty of competitors for playing time, with Paul Millsap, Willie Cauley-Stein, Paul Reed and Charles Bassey all currently on the roster.
I even feel it could be a bit much to immediately list this development as a negative thing. But for now, that’s where I stand -- over the last few years, Jordan’s impact on winning has deteriorated significantly, leaving him as someone I believe is a net negative when it comes to current on-court value.
In theory, this is an extremely low-risk signing without much downside. But we’ve all seen how coaches can attach themselves to experienced players instead of younger, often more logical options. With that being said, it’s completely reasonable to worry that Rivers may become enamored with Jordan and give him too long of a leash.
Pro: Maxey continues to dominate
When the Sixers first acquired Harden, one of the biggest questions was about how the addition would impact Maxey’s play.
And… things are going as well as anybody could have hoped.
Maxey was excellent for the third straight game alongside Harden, thriving as he played off of Embiid and Harden.
Playing alongside two methodical, slower-paced offensive players, Maxey’s ability to be a blur in the open floor does him well, as he’s become the ultimate change-of-pace guy for this team.
Maxey totaled 25 points on just 12 field goal attempts, including knocking down two Harden-esque step-back threes. As he continues to ascend, the Sixers continue to look even scarier than they are on paper.