Coming out of the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a race against time. At the trade deadline, Daryl Morey shocked the NBA world by pulling off a mega-deal to reunite with former MVP James Harden.

Pairing a high-level player to pair alongside MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid instantly changed the course of the Sixers' season. They went from dark horse team in the East to legitimate contender for the foreseeable future. Their only problem is they had only 24 regular-season games to get this new-look team to mesh for the postseason.

Early on, it looked like this experiment was going to be smooth sailing. From the moment he took the court for his new team, Harden was a seamless fit. The All-Star guard was putting up big numbers while also elevating members of the supporting cast with his playmaking. When the honeymoon phase ended, it became clear there were still some growing pains to be had.

In their recent stretch, the Sixers lineup is trending in the right direction. Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey had their best collective outing against the Lakers Wednesday when they combined for 95 points. The All-Star duo followed that up with another strong outing Friday in a blowout win over the Clippers.

After the victory, Joel Embiid opened up about the new-look starting lineup. He feels the group fits together nicely.

“We all fit together. I think everybody is starting to understand their role. We got James [Harden]. We got a bunch of pick-and-rolls, and I got post-ups, and everybody understands that you got to make quick decisions and shoot the wide-open three and move the ball. I think that is why we have been so successful. But we got a long way to go. We are not where we want to be,” said Embiid.

Since Harden made his Sixers debut at the end of February, Philly has a record of 11-4. The starting lineup has also seen great success. In that same span, they are shooting 47.7% from the field, 39.2% from beyond the arc, and have a plus/minus of 6.5, per NBA.com.

When adding a superstar like Harden, it simplifies the game for others on the floor. The biggest example of this is what his presence has done for Tyrese Maxey. Due to Ben Simmons' absence from the Sixers, the second-year guard was thrust into the full-time starting point guard role. Now, with Harden in the fray, he can embrace his scoring nature.

Maxey already made a huge leap in production before the trade, and his numbers have gone up more since. Following the All-Star break, Maxey is averaging 19.1 points per game on 54.2% shooting from the field and an absurd 49.3% from beyond the arc.

For years, the Sixers have searched for ways to effectively utilize Matisse Thybulle on offense. When is consistently finding ways to score, it allows Doc Rivers to play him in longer stretches. As the team's top perimeter defender now, he will need to play big minutes come the postseason.

Harden's gravity and elite-level facilitating appear to be the answer to this solution. Between transition baskets, off-ball cutting, and being a screener in the pick-and-roll, Thybulle is finding his way on offense. In the 15 games since the All-Star break, the defensive specialist has cracked double digits in scoring in six of them.

In these final weeks of the regular season, the new-look Sixers are trending in the right direction. Harden and Embiid have proved to be a formidable duo, and the players around them have adjusted to their new looks.

Talent always has a way of figuring things out in the NBA, and we are seeing that now with the Sixers. Despite the minimal time to prepare, they continue to build positive momentum heading into what they hope is a deep postseason run.