Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the Sixers traded for James Harden at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Now, two of the league’s most dominant offensive players have joined forces in Harden and Joel Embiid. With elite playmaking chops and a legendary scoring repertoire, Harden figures to add more than one new dynamic to Doc Rivers’ offense.
Doc Rivers should be unafraid to deploy Harden in a wide array of lineup configurations. Some with Embiid, some without. Some with Tyrese Maxey, some without. Harden has spent the majority of his career in a ball-dominant role, but his skill set is malleable and wide-ranging. Rivers also has a strong track record with pick-and-roll offense, and very few players run the pick-and-roll better than Harden.
That being said, here are three specific lineups (not including the projected starting five of Embiid-Harris-Thybulle-Maxey-Harden) that Doc Rivers should explore with his new All-NBA guard.
Potential Sixers lineup with James Harden No. 1
- James Harden
- Furkan Korkmaz
- Danny Green
- Georges Niang
- Joel Embiid
The appeal here is simple. It’s Embiid, Harden, and the Sixers’ three best shooters (with the admitted omission of Isaiah Joe, who doesn’t seem to be in the rotation right now). The Harden and Embiid two-man game, be it pick-and-rolls, pick-and-pops, or dribble handoffs, should leave defenses scrambling to lock all windows and doors. That task becomes harder with three above-average spot-up shooters flanking them.
Korkmaz has struggled with his shot this season, but there’s no more confident shooter on the roster. He has also proven his chops as a secondary ball-handler, meaning he can attack closeouts and add some more variety beyond the combined star power of Harden and Embiid.
Green is the best perimeter defender in this unit, so it has only situational value, but this group would leave defenses with very few real answers. You cannot double Embiid, lest you leave Harden or an elite shooter with the matchup advantage elsewhere. Harden getting downhill with a bunch of shooters around him is a proven formula for success.