Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid couldn't contain his excitement after finally getting to experience playing alongside James Harden, so much so that it seems he wasn't able to hold back on taking a subtle shot at former Sixers running mate Ben Simmons.
The Sixers absolutely destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, 133-102. Embiid and his new partner in crime in Harden combined for 61 points in the contest, while point guard Tyrese Maxey scored 28. JoJo also had 10 boards and Harden had eight rebounds and 12 dimes, as they gave no chance to the Wolves at all from start to finish.
Naturally, Embiid was delighted with Harden starring alongside him in Philly. Minnesota just couldn't figure out who to focus on defensively, with both players being inside and outside threats.
“That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets. I used to have to work for everything, but in the fourth quarter, the shot-making ability, the shot-creation, you should've seen my face. I never had this!” Embiid said of playing with Harden.
Did Joel Embiid just shaded Ben Simmons there? Well, probably. After all, the Aussie playmaker has long been criticized for his lack of shooting, something that James Harden is best at. When it comes to fulfilling the offensive needs of the Sixers, The Beard is the perfect man for that–and she showed just that against the Timberwolves.
Assumptions aside, the Sixers also showed that both Harden and Maxey can co-exist despite earlier concerns that the second-year guard will regress alongside Harden. While it's Harden handling the rock most of the time now, it opened up the floor for Maxey to utilize his offensive skillset even more.
"That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career."
Safe to say Embiid already loves playing with James Harden 😂
(via @NBCSPhilly)pic.twitter.com/kuFuJ3Gqee
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 26, 2022
Sure, it's just one game, but it's hard to blame Embiid for being this happy.
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