As one of the league's most fandomed stars, Harden has been in the spotlight since he requested a trade in the offseason. However, the 76ers did not easily satisfy Harden at that time, they did not negotiate with the Clippers until the start of the new season to gather trade chips, in order to get Harden, the Clippers sent Batum, Covington, Morris Jr., Martin Jr., plus 1 first-round pick and 2 second-rounders, and in order to tie the contract, the 76ers in addition to Harden, they also sent PJ Tucker and Petrushev to the Clippers
At the time, the Clippers had the last laugh, not only did they get the Harden they wanted, but they also kept Mann. At that time, the outside world thought that the 76ers were simply a blood loss, you must know that Harden played an average of 20+10 per game in the regular season last year, and he was at least a quasi-All-Star level player, but among the players he exchanged for were some veterans, and their combined scores were not necessarily as many as Harden's scores. However, it has been a while since the deal was made, and now that both the 76ers and the Clippers are back on track after nearly 20 games, it seems that the deal is even a win-win situation.
Let's talk about the 76ers first, they were originally a very passive side, until the end of the chips they exchanged for were a little unsatisfactory at that time, but the team's chemistry and overall strength have not declined significantly, and even because of Harden's departure, Embiid and Maxey have been completely activated. Maxey is averaging 26 per game1 point 41 rebound 6With 8 assists, he was arguably one of the biggest beneficiaries of Harden's deal, as he played at an All-Star level directly from last season's backup core guard.
However, the 76ers' strongest current strength is still Embiid, many people are saying that without Harden, Embiid's strength will decline, but for now, Embiid not only did not decline, but he played better. Embiid is averaging 33 per game this season8 points 115 rebounds and 64 assists 11 steal 18 blocks and 52 percent from the field3% and 32 percent from three-point range8%, of which his average points and assists per game once again set a new career high.
Not only is Embiid hopeful of being named the scoring champion for the third consecutive year this season, but the most important thing is that his playmaking ability has also improved dramatically, and now he can even see some shadows of Jokic in his games. And after strengthening his ability to shoot the ball, Embiid is now more difficult to defend, not covering him is equivalent to sending points, wrapping him, and his ball is fast enough. Under the leadership of Embiid, the 76ers also played a wave of four consecutive wins, and in the latest edition of the MVP rankings, he is also the first place above Jokic, Alexander and other stars, and then continue to continue the current state, he has a great hope of becoming the fifth star in the league to be elected MVP for two consecutive years.
Among the players that the 76ers exchanged for at that time, Batum, Covington, and Morris Jr. all provided help in all aspects, among which Batum can be said to be the best player, he can contribute an average of 68 points 39 rebounds and 2 assists, averaging 524% of the shots are 16 three-pointers. If it weren't for this deal, the 76ers wouldn't have such a deep forward group, so they can be considered a significant reinforcement through this deal.
On the Clippers' side, the outside world thought they were winners from the beginning, but when the trade took place, the team's run-in process was far less than expected. After sending away Covington and Batum, the Clippers' defensive quality further declined, and Harden was also visible to the naked eye that could not integrate into the team's system, especially when he played with Wei Shao, the team was very bad both offensively and defensively, so they once played a wave of six consecutive losses (including one game in which Harden did not play).
In the end, Tyronn Lue made a change, he put Wei Shao on the bench and promoted Mann to the starting lineup, and this change of lineup directly changed the Clippers. Since Wei Shao entered the bench lineup, the Clippers have achieved an 11-3 record, and they have won all the last six games, and with this wave of consecutive wins, the Clippers have also moved to seventh place in the West, and they are only 0With five wins on their way, their return to the top six in the West is just around the corner.
In addition to the reason for Will's lack of play, Harden's rebound was also a key factor, with only one game during the six-game losing streak where he scored more than 20 points, and then he greatly increased his offensive desire, and as his scoring ability improved, his playmaking skills returned. In the last 14 games, Harden has scored 20+ in 6 games, including two 20+10, in the third game against the Warriors, Harden seems to have returned to the state when he played in the Rockets, he slashed 28 points, 7 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks in a single game, and the three-point shooting rate was as high as 833%, and hitting 11 free throws in a single game is also a new high in his Clippers career.
The Clippers are now as expected to be, with Harden in charge of organizing offense on the court, while George and Leonard are focused on scoring and defense, and only when the three of them are comfortable playing can the Clippers hope to play at a championship-level level. However, I also have to praise Wei Shao here, as the former MVP, he is now willing to make sacrifices for the team, not only to play as a substitute, but also to accept the fact that he may not play at critical moments, and now Wei Shao will grasp every minute and every second after he plays, his role is to improve the team's speed and enthusiasm, so as long as he is on the court, he can see the Clippers constantly pushing fast breaks and actively fighting for rebounds.
The Clippers are clearly back in the ranks of the top teams in the West, and while they still have some shortcomings on the inside, the rest of the league has their own flaws, and the focus is on how they can maximize their strengths. Now for the Clippers, the most important thing is to stay healthy, and this is an important reason why the Clippers traded to Harden, his attendance is much better than George and Leonard, so if he can assume the role of the absolute core of the team's outside in the regular season, then George and Leonard even if they are rested, the Clippers still have the power to fight, so maybe we can really see healthy Clippers twin stars playing together in the playoffs again this season.