Pressure is on as James Harden saddles in next to another All-Star teammate

James Harden has had, at various points in his tremendous career, Kevin Durant (twice), Russell Westbrook (twice), Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving as teammates. For whatever reason, he couldn’t win a championship with them or didn’t stay with them long enough to see if a championship could happen.

And this list doesn’t include Dwight Howard, who was still somewhat in his prime when he briefly teamed with Harden.

Therefore, there’s an interesting and closely contested race in progress right now in Harden’s world, between time, excuses and All-Star teammates. He’s running out of all three.

Next up is Joel Embiid, by far the best big man Harden has ever had, a beastly center who’s piecing together a potential Kia MVP season, and a thirsty star who’s anxious if not desperate to win a championship himself. Without Simmons and Harden, Embiid has averaged 29.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and a career-high 4.5 assists.  

“There’s still another level I can get to, that I believe I can get to,” Embiid said.

Once again, Harden is blessed with a co-star who is his equal or better, except now there’s a bit more urgency to finally cash in as Harden’s journey shifts to Philadelphia. 

“For me, it made sense,” he said.

these three. 👌 pic.twitter.com/XAx5O16cnU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 25, 2022

The Sixers invested heavily in Harden, from a present and future standpoint. They sacrificed depth in Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, along with an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a 2027 protected first-rounder. Of course, the Sixers were ready to rid themselves of Ben Simmons, but that was a steep price, and who knew the Sixers had to toss in those sweeteners to trade a talented, yet flawed and scarred young player like Simmons who was under contract for two more seasons?

But Daryl Morey, the Philly GM, has a soft spot for Harden and pressed hard to be reunited with the star he had in Houston. Without a doubt, Morey is on the hot griddle with this trade, especially because Harden’s contract only has a player option year remaining. That means the Sixers are all but prepared to extend Harden beyond next season’s $47 million, a risky move for a 32-year-old whose best years are perhaps behind him.

But what about Harden? Doesn’t he, as well, feel some heat with this move? Harden angled his way out of Brooklyn, and less than a year earlier, out of Houston as well. He pulled the plug on both situations in order to find … something else. And here we are.

“Like Daryl said, the opportunity to win is now,” Harden said. “Joel is playing the best he’s ever played. So my job is to come out there and help him and help the entire team win a championship this year and in years going forward.”

Harden is expected to make his Sixers debut Friday against the Timberwolves. What follows is a summary of his previous teams and tandems, the highs and lows, and why they no longer exist:

Oklahoma City, 2009-2012 (Durant and Westbrook): The Thunder had three future MVPs in the lineup, plus Serge Ibaka, and someday there will be a documentary done on this setup and how it collapsed. Basically, the Thunder couldn’t pay everyone, and essentially chose Ibaka over Harden.

They extended Ibaka and with the Harden negotiations on deck, decided to trade him if only because, at the time, Harden was a sixth man — a solid one, but still — and the guts of that team were Durant and Westbrook. They reached the NBA Finals together (Harden played poorly in that series loss to Miami) and OKC decided paying a record price for a bench player was probably not in their best salary cap interests, given that Durant’s and Westbrook’s extensions were approaching.

In hindsight, shouldn’t OKC have paid everyone and accepted the luxury tax punishment? Easy to say since it’s not your money; still, this was one of those pay-now and worry-later situations, because OKC, flushed with young talent, would’ve been in the championship hunt for years.

Houston, 2012-2020 (Westbrook, Paul): Harden became a superstar in Houston because his coach, Mike D’Antoni, and the franchise did everything possible to appease him and showcase his improved shooting and playmaking skills. In the process, the light stayed green and the leverage and sway he enjoyed also elevated his ego along with his game and status.

That combination created a lethal three-time scoring champ and MVP, and also a franchise player who didn’t make it easy to find a match for him.

Chris Paul’s arrival seemed an ideal fit. The Rockets suddenly had a pair of creative guards who could play on or off the ball, much like Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars did for years (and two title teams) in Detroit. Unlike those two, however, Harden and Paul never meshed and their egos and philosophies clashed much too often, especially in the playoffs where they couldn’t get beyond the Warriors. Paul suffering a hamstring pull with a 3-2 playoff series lead over Golden State three years ago; that didn’t help, either, and he’d had enough after just two years with Harden.

Paul was considered an aging player when Houston swapped him for Westbrook in 2019; the Rockets had to toss a pair of first-round sweeteners to OKC, shocking in hindsight. Again, on the surface, this new combination appeared to be a solid match, especially since Harden and Westbrook were once teammates and still close friends. 

But it collapsed in the 2020 Orlando bubble when the Rockets were bounced in five games by the Lakers in the playoffs. When Morey then fled to Philly and Westbrook was traded to Washington, Harden wasn’t feeling comfortable about a longer stay in Houston or an attempt to try again, this time with John Wall.

Brooklyn, 2020-22 (Durant, Irving): Harden pouted and forced Houston’s hands and finally got what he wished for — a trade to a contender.

As he said recently, the Nets weren’t his first choice, but they offered him his best chance, to that point, of winning a title. At the time, Durant was finally healed, but Harden and Irving dealt with injuries that ultimately doomed Brooklyn in last year’s playoffs. Well, that, along with Durant toeing the 3-point stripe in the East semis against the Bucks.

When this season began, Brooklyn looked mighty … until New York City flexed its health and safety law and prevented Irving from playing home games. Because of injuries and Irving’s stance, the three played only 16 games together. The situation seemed vulnerable to yet another collapse for Harden, and for the second time in less than 13 months, he asked out.

And now, it’s Philadelphia and Embiid.

“I mean, it wasn’t planned like this,” Harden said. “Fourteen months ago, I didn’t see myself with three different teams. But we are here today and I’m happy.”

Once again, the fit appears solid. Certainly, the Sixers and coach Doc Rivers will seize advantage of the pick-and-roll opportunities between a dominant big man and a crafty dribbler. In a best-case scenario, Harden-Embiid could be the league’s most vicious pick-and-rollers in years, maybe since Karl Malone and John Stockton. 

Seriously: Embiid is a big-body center who can act as a massive shield on the pick, giving Harden a chance to either step back and shoot a 3, or allow Embiid to roll to the rim and feed him for a dunk, or let Embiid pick-and-pop (Embiid is a good outside shooter), or Harden can use the mismatch off the pick to attack the rim himself. The options are multiple, and they favor Philly.

“I think we complement each other,” Harden said. “Obviously, the whole world knows how great Joel has been playing — not just scoring with the basketball, but rebounding. His presence alone is unbelievable. I feel like I’m the same way as far as making my teammates better and doing different things that impact the game at the highest level.”

This will be a process, however. Because: How many times has Embiid ever set a pick for anyone? And how often has Harden been in pick-and-roll situations with a big man?

The other issue is the Sixers’ lack of depth, a situation caused by shipping Curry and Drummond to Brooklyn. Embiid must burn heavy minutes in the upcoming playoffs if the Sixers can’t get decent production from Willie Cauley-Stein, who was just signed to a 10-day contract as a backup. And without Curry, the Sixers hope Tyrese Maxey can handle heavy minutes as well, and also pray Danny Green, among others, can replace Curry’s accuracy from deep.

It’s a fresh start for Harden, yet again, and a chance to connect with yet another teammate who can produce the championship that has eluded him. But he knows he’s on the clock, and on the spot. 

“Here in Philly we have an opportunity,” Harden said, “and I’m looking forward to it.”

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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