Recently, perkins said on the show, "Now put Harden and Embiid together, we may see the next OK combination." So the question is: Can Harden and Embiid really match Kobe Bryant and O'Neal?
22 years OF HE, more mature than 96 years OF OK
As we all know, Kobe Bryant joined the Lakers in 1996, when he was only 18 years old, was a fledgling high school student; O'Neal joined from the Magic, although it was already a big killer, but after all, he was only 24 years old. Four years later, in 2000, the OK group won its first NBA championship and then completed a great triple crown.
Harden is now 32 years old, has been named MVP as early as 2018, opened three consecutive years of scoring king mode, and is recognized as a superstar in the league. Embiid, 27, is one of the NBA's finest interior players, averaging 29.5 points per game this season, the league's number one.
That is to say, when Kobe Bryant and O'Neal first met, they were not strong enough and needed to grow. Harden and Embiid are now together, both very mature, at the peak of their careers, so the requirements for them should also be the OK combination of the three consecutive championships at the peak of the standard.
HE and OK, there is no comparison
Perkins believes that Harden and Embiid will be the next Kobe O'Neal, and the main reason may be two points. First, both combinations are supergiants and both have the best abilities in the league. Second, an outside line can score wildly, an inside line is extremely dominant, and the combination of inside and outside looks perfect.
However, in fact, Harden + Embiid and Kobe + O'Neal, there is really no comparison.
First, the characteristics of the players are different from the way they play. Harden and Kobe Bryant are super scoring ability, but Kobe Bryant is almost obsessed with shooting and scoring, scoring methods can be called a kaleidoscope, near, medium and far can cut melons and cut vegetables. Harden is a loyal enforcer of the magic ball theory, and retreating three-pointers and bursting into the interior to make free throws are two major scoring weapons, unlike Bryant, who has as many shots.
Bryant is a traditional point guard who has scoring as his first priority and believes in himself more than his teammates. Harden is more like an organizational guard, scoring his own points while also creating space to pass the ball to his teammates, but he has won the assist king.
In key games, in the handling of key balls, Bryant has perseverance and a big heart, often able to persist until the moment of victory. Harden's willpower and mental attributes are his weaknesses, and he often drops the chain at key moments, which is also an important reason why he has not won a championship so far.
Embiid and O'Neill are also different. O'Neal's inner dominance is at the top of history, and after receiving the ball, he directly dominates the hard bow, and anyone has to avoid its sharp edge. Of course, his technique and footsteps are also excellent, but not as daunting as his body. As for the shooting, it was his biggest weakness, and there was no range except for the free throws.
Embiid is a modern type of interior line, can run, can break, can pass, can shoot, and can also kill under the basket dunk. He can be the offensive axis of a team, support an offensive system, and the range is far larger than that of the Sharks, but the dominance of the interior can only be expected.
Therefore, Harden and Embiid, Kobe Bryant and O'Neal play together, are destined to show a completely different way and appearance, Harden and Embiid can not cooperate in the way Kobe and O'Neal, and vice versa.
Second, times are different. In the era of OK combinations, there are not so many three-point shots, or the inside liners have to win the world, there are so many middle shots, but also pay attention to confrontation and defense, and still play not so fast, so crazy.
The era of HE combination belongs to the three-pointer, belongs to the offense, belongs to the speed, belongs to the conversion, the importance of the big core of the outside line with the ball and higher than the inside line, and the so-called inner line that can be the defender of the organization such as Jokic and Embiid is not available in the previous era.
It is precisely because of these two big differences that the two combinations are not comparable, harden and Embiid, will not be the next Kobe and O'Neal, and there is no need to be. As for the three consecutive championship glory of the OK combination, can it be copied by the 76ers and the two giants? Shouldn't it be, after all, as strong as the universe brave, did not complete the triple crown is not it?