76ers' James Harden Says Joel Embiid Is Still Improving: 'He's Second to None'
October 10, 2022
Bad news for the rest of the NBA: Joel Embiid may only be getting better.
"He's second to none," teammate James Harden said, per 76ers reporter Lauren Rosen. "He's one of one. And he continues to get better. We're finally witnessing Joel Embiid—who I think everybody thought he could potentially be some years ago."
Embiid is coming off arguably the best season of his career. He averaged a league-best 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep.
He missed out on the MVP, which went to Nikola Jokic, but the five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection was nearly impossible to guard.
Yet that didn't stop the Miami Heat from defeating the 76ers in the second round, which has been the issue in Philadelphia throughout his career. The team has yet to make it past the second round since selecting Embiid with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft.
However, that could change in 2022-23 if he does get better like Harden suggested.
