Joel Embiid ‘Happy’ For James Harden Amidst His Hot Scoring Start

The Philadelphia 76ers maybe 1-3 out of the gate, but James Harden has been doing everything he can to help Philly compete.

The 76ers picked up their first win of the season after beating the Pacers 120-106 on Monday due to a herculean effort from Harden. The ten-time All-Star dropped 29 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed nine rebounds in the game. Joel Embiid was left praising Harden upon the final buzzer.

“He’s been doing great,” said Embiid. “I’m happy for him, and we’re gonna need it. We’re gonna need him to be confident and really feel himself, and he’s been doing it. So now we just got to get everybody playing at the same level so we can win games.”  

29 PTS | 11 AST | 9 REB

Alexa, play Jimmy Cooks 👨‍🍳

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

With the performances Harden has been putting on, The Beards showing shades of his MVP form. In four games so far, the Beard is averaging 26.8 points, 9.8 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. 

Embiid understands how much work the 33-year-old put in during the summer to reach this point. In fact, it was the Sixers’ big man who told reporters that the Philly version of Harden wasn’t the Houston version after the 76ers got eliminated by the Miami Heat in the playoffs last year.

“I am sure since we got him, everybody expected the Houston James Harden,” said Embiid following a loss to the Miami Heat in Game 6. “But that’s not who he is anymore. He is more of a playmaker.”

📹 Game Highlights vs. Pacers | 10.24.22

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

With Harden’s scoring numbers up, it’s going to be interesting to see if the team shifts scoring options between him and Embiid as the go-to scorer moving forward. Philadelphia will play the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.