On February 26, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. James Harden made his 76ers debut and the whole process was so perfect. After only 35 minutes in the game, he slashed 27 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists, with only 2 turnovers. Crucially, he played more efficiently, shooting more than 60 percent of the time. In fact, since the Rockets left, Harden has put his posture very low, willing to become an assistant, rather than the absolute core of the team.
After today's game, Harden said in an interview: I'm here to help, I'm here to make everyone's job easier. As can be seen from this sentence, Harden admitted that this was Embiid's team and would even let Maxy have the ball. In the end, the 76ers were a big win over the Timberwolves. So, what valuable information can we get from this game? Served! 30 points + 23 points + 12 assists, 76ers 3 killer skills debut! One person benefits and one person suffers.
Served! 30 points + 23 points + 12 assists
What do these 3 sets of data mean? In fact, through these 3 sets of data, we can know how the 76ers defeated the Timberwolves. And you can also find out where the advantages of the 76ers are! The first stat: 30 points, which is the team's free throw score, the Timberwolves just 21 points, and the 76ers lead by nine points. Embiid and Harden are both the league's top foulmakers, and in future games, free throws will be one of the team's important scoring methods. The second statistic: 23 points, which is a fast-break score for the 76ers, and the Timberwolves have only four points, a full 19 points ahead, what is this concept? It can be known through the game: most of the fast-attack scores come from Harden's passing.
Third stat: 12 assists, which is Harden's regular performance. As far as the current league is concerned, the point of being able to achieve a magic between scoring and assists, Harden is definitely the only one. Embiid said in a post-game interview: "Sometimes I don't expect Harden's pass to come over, he can make the game easy.
One person benefits
Free throws, fast attacks, tandem teams, this will be the 76ers' 3 killer skills, is the team's advantage and guarantee to win. After talking about the overall performance of the team, let's break down again, who is the biggest beneficiary of Harden's arrival? Some people say it is embiid the great, but there is one person who benefits more than him, and this player is the young maxi. Against the Timberwolves, he played 32 minutes and 09 seconds, shooting 12-of-16, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and had 28 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Shooting 75% from the field and 60% from three-point range, he set a career steals record.
Although Maxi has grown rapidly, he is not yet a good organizational defender, he is better at scoring and running. Before Harden arrived, he needed to take on the responsibility of possession, organization, scoring, and defense. Now, all he has to do is keep running, receive Harden's pass, and send the ball to the basket. Not surprisingly, Maxi will be the team's third-place scorer, and his average of points per game will continue to grow, currently averaging 17.1 points per game.
One man suffered
Compared to Maxie's great performance, the other starter of the 76ers played badly, and he was Harris. He played 29 minutes and 51 seconds, shooting 2-of-9 and 2-of-6 from three-point range, with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Why is he going to suffer? Before Harden arrived, the 76ers, in addition to Embiid being able to single with the ball, the second singles with the ball was Harris, who was able to attack with his back and face frame. However, Harden's arrival made him disqualified from holding the ball and could only catch the ball jump shot. Therefore, when his hand feels bad, he will play a bad performance. Throughout his career, Harris has not been a quality shooter and prefers to single with the ball.
Harris is making $36 million this season, $38.48 million next season, and $40.96 million for the 23-24 season. So, he's a typical high-paid, low-energy player. This summer, the team should find a way to send him away. According to the name: Embiid pushed the team to trade Beal.
A perfect debut that convinced many skeptics. Next, the 76ers only need to play 2 games in 5 days, and they are all the same opponents, the New York Knicks. What kind of crazy performance will Harden play in Madison Square when he returns to New York City? The OK combination of the new era is indeed exciting!