A new era of basketball in the City of Brotherly Love kicks off Friday night, as James Harden is set to make his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers. After using the All-Star break for added time to recover from a hamstring injury, the former MVP will be taking the floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With a huge addition to the lineup, lofty expectations have come about for the Sixers. Some now feel it's championship or bust, given the long-awaited presence of a second superstar. For Philly to achieve that ultimate goal, it will take more than stellar play from the guys leading the charge.
Here are three of the biggest X-factors for Harden, Joel Embiid and the new-look Sixers.
Biggest X-factors for new-look Sixers
Since Seth Curry departed to Brooklyn in the Harden trade, the Sixers lost one of their most effective deadeye shooters. Given the attention the two stars garner, outside shooting will be critical for making defenses pay when they send help to Harden and Embiid.
After shooting slightly over 40% from three a year ago, Green's percentage has dipped to 37% this season. If he can get back to the volume and efficiency we saw in 2020-21, it could do wonders for the Sixers' offense.
There is no denying the looks will be there for Green when Harden and Embiid take the court together. Given both players' ability as a passer, they are more than capable of getting the ball to him beyond the arc. It all comes down to if he can knock down the shots when they're there.
With Curry no longer in the fold, the Sixers need the other three-point shooters to help fill the void. Green showed last season he can be efficient at a good volume, and sharing the floor with an elite playmaker again should allow him to get back to that.
Few players on the Sixers benefit more from the addition of Harden than Maxey. The 21-year-old more than held his own at point guard, but now has some responsibility taken off his plate.
Now that Harden can handle the primary playmaking duties, Maxey can get back to embracing his combo-guard nature. Feeling pressured to keep others involved sometimes got in the way of getting himself going on offense.
While he is likely to remain in the starting lineup, Maxey won't spend all his minutes on the floor with Harden. Getting to run with the second unit will allows Maxey to let loose as a scorer, making the Sixers look like a much deeper team in the process.
Harris' name is always at the top of the list when it comes to X-factors, and for good reason. If he can prove to be a reliable third option to Embiid and Harden, the Sixers can pose a real threat as title contenders.
Similar to Green, Harris will benefit from playing alongside an elite playmaker in the backcourt again. Harden's presence should create a lot of transition baskets for Harris, an area he thrived in last season. He will also have open looks all over the floor when he's playing with two All-Stars.
With opposing teams doing all they can to slow Harden and Embiid, Harris should have a mismatch on a nightly basis. If he can efficiently exploit a weaker defensive matchup, the Sixers will become near impossible to defend.
Most are focusing on Embiid and Harden to carry the load, and rightfully so, but Harris proving he can be a legitimate third star is the key to the Sixers pulling off a deep postseason run.
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