3 takeaways from latest James Harden rumors

2. Continuity matters for Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a continuity problem for some time now. The superstar duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons — drafted to be the team’s core — struggled to find any chemistry and were stylistically a poor fit from the beginning. All the while, starters, and stars came in and out without an end in sight.

Starters Robert Covington and Dario Saric were moved for Jimmy Butler, who left with two-year starter JJ Redick in 2018. Replacing them were the nightmare duo of Josh Richardson and Al Horford, who lessened what little chemistry and fit could be found in Philadelphia. After the season, both players were moved once again in an effort to, once again, improve fit and leadership in Philadelphia. Danny Green and Seth Curry became 76ers and started to build something wonderful with star Joel Embiid. Fast forward to today, and Seth Curry is now out of Philly, and Danny Green may be right behind him.

All of this roster turnover would hinder any star from being able to contend for a championship earnestly. While every team sees moderate change every season, the Sixers have taken that to the extreme far too often in recent years, and it’s time that trend ends. By re-signing James Harden, the Sixers have a chance to finally build some continuity between Embiid and a star that actually compliments his game.

What this deal doesn’t solve, however, is the team’s ability to improve around the margins, something that became an obvious need last season. If the 76ers are to improve their bench and general role players, they’re going to have to be fairly creative in free agency.