Sixers podcast: No James Harden | Joel Embiid’s knee | Shake shines

Inconsistent lineups impact the Sixers in both negative and positive ways. Some solid wins and tough losses provide plenty of talking points, as well as the fallout from a failed Ben Simmons trade.

In this week’s episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast, Lucas Johnson and Christopher Kline offer their thoughts on a number of issues surrounding the 76ers. Although COVID-19 protocol has affected the Sixers’ schedule and roster, there are a number of topics to cover.

The first topic is the trade deal that never happened. As reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ben Simmons was going to be included in a trade involving James Harden. For reasons beyond Sixers’ front office, the exchange never took place. The pod goes over whether the 76ers are better off keeping Simmons over Harden. Also, they discuss the impact that the media hype around the trade might have impacted Simmons’ ego and overall play.

Next on the agenda, Lucas and Chris explain reasons why fans should or should not be concerned with the knee pain that Joel Embiid experienced prior to the scheduled Memphis and OKC games. In addition to his condition, they elaborate on the All-Star center’s dominant performance versus the Miami Heat, where scored 45 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

After they converse about Embiid, the discussion goes into the recent play of Shake Milton. Averaging 25 points per game the last four games, Milton is making a case for himself to be the early favorite to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. The pod analyzes his rise in the ranks of top bench player in the entire league.

Finally, the podcast dives into the pleasant surprise of Isaiah Joe putting up impressive rookie numbers. The sharp-shooter out of Arkansas showed Philly fans why his perimeter game is so effective now that he’s had a chance to prove himself with substantial minutes. Will he be ready for a steady a role if Doc Rivers makes the decision? Can Isaiah Joe shave minutes off of Furkan Korkmaz’s playing time after an injury hiatus? These question are answered, and more, on this episode of the Sixer Sense Podcast.

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