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Honestly, by this point I was thinking that Harden was going to remain with the Sixers throughout the season, or that they were going to trade him to another team besides the Clippers. But the Beard got his wish and is reportedly "ecstatic" as a result.
In theory, this should make the Clippers one of the top five teams in the NBA, if they weren't already. Presumably, their starting lineup will read something like James at point, Westbrook at the 2, PG13 at SF (i.e. his true position), and Kawhi at the four. And there's a number of reasons why that lineup may lead to a championship.
First of all, that has to be the most-talented guard/wing core in the league. Secondly, most NBA teams more or less play small now anyway. Third, Kawhi is a good enough defender that he should be able to match up with most 4s. And fourth, Westbrook is the best-rebounding G in the modern history of the NBA. That said, the chances of all four of them being healthy simultaneously is probably minimal, so the aged PJ Tucker is probably going to get a lot of starting time also.
So now, the x-factor actually becomes Ivica Zubac. He's a European C, all of whom these days seem to be above-average at their position. But the best thing about it is that unlike many others in that category, he doesn't shoot threes. And that's a good thing because now, playing with at least three solid chucks, he should focus almost exclusively on rebounding and playing down low.
As for the Sixers, as I said at the beginning of the season, they don't really need Harden anyway. When Ben Simmons decided to bounce, that was when they were supposed to give the keys to Tyrese Maxey, as he had already proven, since day one, to be an exceptional draft pick (at number 21). Instead, he had to take a backseat to Harden and, by the looks of things, didn't complain about it.
The Beard may average more assists, but given the Sixers roster, I think Tyrese is better at the point. Harden has this weird sorta game whereas he does average more assists than most other Gs but still retains the tendency to sometimes alienate teammates out of the offense. I guess that reality is sort of a testament to how good he really is.
That said, the player I'm most excited about landing on the Sixers is KJ Martin. He was one of my favorites on the Rockets last season, and I never approved of the idea of him playing on the Clippers, as they're like too far past his timeline. So I'm presuming that he'll be a much better fit alongside Maxey + Embiid, and since they also traded away Tucker may potentially be a starter. That's going to be some exciting shit, seeing Tyrese and KJ play together.
I haven't really been following Philly during this early season, but I do know that Maxey just won Eastern Conference Player of the Week. And remember who was the first analyst to say that he's the most-underrated player in the NBA and will also be an allstar this season.
I'm sorta envisioning a starting five along the lines of Maxey + Oubre + Martin + Harris + Embiid. And as a sidenote, it's also cool to have Robert Covington back, a player whom the Sixers never should have let go of to begin with, though of course he has a lot more mileage now. What is kinda sad though is that they reportedly cut Danny Green to make room for the new additions.
CONCLUSION
With a big name like the Beard bouncing, honestly the Sixers do feel a little less formidable. But my argument has been, besides boasting at least a couple of allstar-level players (as well as one or two that may be on the borderline), they have more depth than any other team in the NBA. And now, having acquired four quality rotation players for Harden (besides the future draft picks), they've only gotten deeper. So obviously, the strategy when it comes to beating teams like the Bucks and Celtics will be to defeat them by being able to exhibit a higher level of energy, i.e. Philly having a bench long enough that it can, in theory, where other squads down.
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