Sixers fans everywhere have had Feb. 10th circled on their calendars since the beginning of the season.

That is because Ben Simmons has become one of the most hated athletes in Philadelphia history ever since it was announced that he would not be suiting up this season. Fans have been eager to see him moved all season, and this resulted in many rumors around potential returns for the All-Star guard.

These rumors consisted of some borderline stars and solid role players, but nearly no one could have predicted that the move shipping Simmons out of Philadelphia would bring a perennial All-Star and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team to the City of Brotherly Love. James Harden: a ten time All-Star, seven time All-NBA member, three time scoring champ and former MVP is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. 

While his resume speaks for itself, Harden most certainly has passed the eye test as well over the last decade. His ridiculous scoring and his ever-improving playmaking have made him a threat to record a double-double nearly every night. Harden is coming from the Brooklyn Nets, who have had a lot of interesting storylines throughout the season. The main headline comes from their star point guard Kyrie Irving, as being unvaccinated has led to him being forced to miss all home games on the season. 

Additionally, their superstar Kevin Durant suffered a major injury that still has him sidelined currently. These two incidents have combined to drop the Nets down to the No.8 seed in the East. Despite all of this, Harden is still having an extremely efficient year, averaging 22.5 points a game to go along with eight rebounds and 10.2 assists (second most in the league). While this isn’t the 36 points a game that he averaged just a few seasons ago, it was enough to earn him a spot in the 2022 All-Star game as a reserve. While his production is already at a high level, it could still increase, since this move will team him up with MVP favorite Joel Embiid to create what could be the best guard/big duo since Shaq and Kobe. 

Joel Embiid has had an absolutely dominant year thus far, leading the league in scoring, while carrying Philly to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern conference as their lone All-Star. The big man was on a mission to win his first MVP last season, but a knee injury sidelined him for multiple weeks and forced him out of the conversation. Although he had a shaky start to the year, his dramatically improved playmaking and dominant nature have won him back-to-back Player of the Month awards and a spot as an All-Star starter in the Eastern conference. 

Fans have seen him pull out some things that seem impossible for a seven-footer; his footwork and ball handling are second to none amid centers around the league. Joel’s fastbreak eurosteps and stepback threes not only make him one of the most entertaining players in the world, but they are also a testament to the work he has put in throughout the offseason. 

After Philly’s devastating game seven loss against the Atlanta Hawks last season, the process took another brutal hit. Blame was instantly placed heavily on Doc Rivers as well as Ben Simmons, yet it appears Embiid took some offense to that loss as well. Contrary to Simmons, Embiid decided to try and take his game to another level before taking the court for the 2022 season, and the results speak for themselves. In addition to Joel’s improvement, there may not be a player around the league who’s seen a bigger jump than Tyrese Maxey.

Drafted 21st overall last year, Maxey had a solid rookie year and turned some heads for sure. While he only averaged eight points per game, he showed flashes of greatness whenever he was given the opportunity, and his increased production in the postseason was very promising. This season, Ben Simmons’ exit originally appeared to make the Sixers weak at the point guard position, but Maxey stepped into the starting role and absolutely stole the show.

The young star has seen his minutes dramatically increase from last season, averaging about 36 minutes per game as opposed to 15 last year. This jump in playing time has allowed him to improve in every major category, most notably scoring, as he has jumped to 17 points per game on the season. While it looked like he could have been a piece in a trade at the start of the year, Maxey built himself a secure spot on this team and looks to be a huge part of the future as well,

With Maxey and Joel leading the way so far this year, along with Tobias Harris and some other key players, things look extremely promising with Harden coming to join this talented group. It is very rare that a team acquires a player of his caliber without losing a large part of their current roster, but with Simmons’ situation, that is exactly what happened. 

However, the deal was not as simple as Simmons for Harden. Philadelphia also has to package in sharpshooter Seth Curry and backup center Andre Drummond along with two first round picks. Seth had been a very valuable member of the team up to his being traded, averaging 15 points a game and providing big buckets down the stretches of many games. Drummond was also a key contributor, as his tenacious rebounding and hustle allowed for Joel Embiid to spend some time on the bench without severe consequences on the scoreboard. While these two will be missed by the team and the fans, Harden’s arrival, along with the arrival of veteran forward Paul Milsap, should certainly make up for this production and more. 

It was very unclear what the ceiling of this group was before Feb 10th, but after the deal was made, it is pretty clear cut now. The Eastern conference is as strong as it has been in years, but the Sixers remain at the top of the list to make it out. Brooklyn should continue to provide a test with its new squad. Additionally, the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks, led by international superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo aren’t going away anytime soon. 

However, judging by Harden’s first game playing for his new squad, the roster in Philadelphia appears strong enough to beat anyone in a seven game series. Harden posted a ridiculous 27 points along with eight rebounds and twelve assists in his debut, but the numbers do not tell the whole story. The Sixers offense has never looked better, as Embiid put up 34 points of his own and Tyrese Maxey poured in 28. The team finished with a 31 point win in Minnesota, and it looked like Harden has been playing with the rest of the team all season the way they gelled on the court together.

 Sixers fans should certainly be looking forward to this postseason, as this roster, led by “the Beard” and “the Process,” seems like the best chance the city has had to go all the way since 2001.