James Harden Discusses Fit With Joel Embiid on Sixers

The entire basketball world knows just how dominant Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been this season.

Coming off of an MVP-caliber year, Embiid is playing even better these days. In 44 games this season, Embiid has averaged a career-high of 29 points while draining 49-percent of his shots and 36-percent of his threes.

In addition to his scoring, Embiid has also averaged 11 rebounds, four assists, and one block per game. As the NBA enters the All-Star break in less than a week, many would make the argument that Embiid is the league's most valuable player.

Now, Embiid is linked up with a player who actually won the NBA's MVP award in the past in James Harden. During his 2018 run with the Houston Rockets, Harden notched his one and only MVP nod. Although he hasn't hoisted the hardware since, Harden has continued to dominate and play at a high level since his MVP campaign years ago.

On Tuesday, Harden was formally introduced as one of the newest members of the Sixers. As he comes to Philly via trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Harden is excited to join forces with Embiid. And when asked about the superstar duo's fit, Harden made it clear he believes that Embiid and himself will work well together.

"I think we complement each other," Harden explained. "You know, obviously, the whole world knows how great Jo's been playing. Not just scoring the basketball, but rebounding, and he got a triple-double last game. Just like his presence alone is unbelievable."

Offensively, Embiid has become one of the most versatile players in the game. He can play like a traditional center and overpower other bigs down low. However, Embiid can also play the game like a guard as he's practically a three-level scorer and improved significantly with his passing.

As dominant as Embiid can be on his own, he's a selfless star when other key scorers are on the floor. Therefore, he'll look to feed Harden a ton -- and the former MVP intends to play in a similar fashion.

"I think I'm the same way as far as making my teammates better and doing different things to impact the game at the highest level," said Harden. "And we have a great core of guys that can also help with that. I wish I was playing tonight, but I'm just taking my time, and after the break, we'll get things going."

Harden is guaranteed to miss Tuesday's game against the Celtics and Thursday's matchup against Milwaukee. He also plans to rest for the All-Star game and will be replaced by Cleveland's Jarrett Allen. It's unclear if Harden is targeting next Friday's game against the Timberwolves as his return date, but there is a good chance he'll play then as he's eager to get on the court alongside Embiid and his other new teammates.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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