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Joel Embiid Takes Low Key Jab At James Harden As 76ers Keep Winning

Joel Embiid Takes Low Key Jab At James Harden As 76ers Keep Winning

Joel Embiid has played the entire James Harden situation about as well as he could possibly could.

Although the reigning league MVP has never been one to bite his tongue about teammates that have done him wrong, he made an exception in Harden’s case.

Despite all the drama that was caused, Embiid didn’t bother calling Harden out. The closest he came was a sly little comment about why Harden refused to show up to 76ers training camp.

This week, though – that changed a little. Amid a six-game winning streak by Philly that now has them sitting atop the Eastern Conference, Embiid couldn’t help but throw a little jab Harden’s way.

“I think it’s a lot of credit to the culture that we have,” he said regarding the squad’s recent streak.

“No one has an ego on this team. Guys aren’t selfish. … Guys are just happy, just worried about the right thing — which is to win. That’s the only thing that matters, and that’s the only thing that should matter.”

It isn’t hard to read between the lines there. Harden literally just called himself a “system” and said that the 76ers misusing him.

And it is also worth taking stock of what the Los Angeles Clippers look like now that they have Harden. That squad has now lost two straight games and looks to be int total disarray.

To Harden’s credit, though – he seems to get it. He took all the blame for his current squad’s woes this week.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the NBA season ultimately shakes out.

The Clippers made a big bet when they acquired Harden. Not because they gave up a ton for him, but because of the potential chemistry issues that his presence on the roster poses.

Simply removing him from the equation turned the Sixers into a much better team.

Will Harden’s exit prove to be a blessing in disguise for the 76ers when it’s all said and done this season? An answer one way or the other will emerge soon enough.

Related: James Harden On Who He Blames For Slow Clippers Start

Carlos Garcia

A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
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