Philadelphia completed a sensational deal, Philadelphia exchanged Simmons, Curry Jr., Drummond and two first-round draft picks for Harden and Millsap to create a "Harden + Embiid" super-core. Now the US media has given a bold prediction for Philadelphia, who has won Harden, believing that they can achieve two goals this season: first, Philadelphia ranks among the top three in the East in the regular season; second, Philadelphia will at least advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs.
1. Philadelphia made it to the top three in the East
With Simmons leaving and Harden coming, Philadelphia will have another top scorer, and other teams will struggle to defend Harden and Embiid. This season, Harley averaged 22.5 points, eight rebounds and 10.2 assists, and his organizational skills and offensive talent will be a welcome addition.
Although the team is talented, it needs to be prepared to play a hard battle if it wants to enter the top three in the East. The Heat, Bucks, Bulls and Cavaliers occupy the top four positions in the East. These teams are playing at a high level, and their squads have a good chemistry.
Harden, paired with Embiid, will build a strong duo, especially since Embiid is in the midst of an MVP-level season, where he currently averages 29.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The trade did weaken Philadelphia's depth as they ditched Curry Jr. and Drummond, who are the team's reliable role players.
Harden and Embiid may take time to grind together, but once they do, they will become an elite combination and will also lead Philadelphia to the top three in the East.
2. Philadelphia advances to the Eastern Conference Finals
Harden's addition will take Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference Finals, and embiid has yet to lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in his career. Last year, Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Simmons was reluctant to shoot, giving them the chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden's playoff history may not be great, but he is always willing to shoot, and his aggressiveness will be good to serve the team. The rest of the Philadelphia lineup is solid and perfect for both stars, with Maxi and Harris going to be key figures on their side.
With 16.9 points per game and 47.1 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three-point range, Maxi has a lot of potential and can continue to improve on Harden's side. Harris will also get more open offensive opportunities, which could help improve three-point efficiency, averaging 19.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point range, and his efficiency can improve as Harden arrives.
However, Embiid will be the biggest beneficiary, as the opponent's defense will be one or the other, which will result in fewer double bags. As Harden is able to pass the ball to his teammates, Embiid's blocking will also improve. After completing the deal, Philadelphia are now legitimate contenders for the Eastern Conference title, with Harden and Embiid destined to be a good pair of superstars who are expected to lead the team to at least the Eastern Conference Finals.
(Drunken Lying Floating Life)