With James Harden set to make his 76ers debut this Friday, All-Star center Joel Embiid has opened up about his relationship with his new teammate.
Embiid has heard all the chatter about Harden being a difficult teammate, but he hasn’t witnessed it firsthand.
“I mean, it’s funny, you see all the stories that are out there, and all that stuff, and obviously we all see it,” Embiid said on Friday morning, via ESPN. “It’s completely different than what you see out there. He’s a great person, a great personality, always smiling, fun to be around. Everything, really.
“His presence on the team, and on the floor, has really changed a lot since he got here. So I’m just excited for that to continue on the court and I think that’s going to help us a lot.”
Now, the focus shifts to the court. Embiid and Harden need to figure out how to work together if they want to make a Finals run this season.
Although there’ll be a lot of pressure on Embiid and Harden to get the job done, it sounds like they’re embracing it.
“It sets expectations even higher than they were before, puts a lot of pressure on everybody, so I’m excited,” Embiid added. “I’m excited for everybody to play at another level, especially me, so I think it’s going to be fun.”
Embiid has been outstanding this season, averaging 29.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
It’ll be interesting to see how Embiid performs with Harden alongside him.
Tipoff for the 76ers-Timberwolves game is at 8 p.m. ET.
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