The Beard Is Back: 7 takeaways from the beginning of Philly's Harden era

The first two games of Philadelphia's James Harden era couldn't have gone any better for the 76ers. The former NBA MVP averaged a preposterous 28 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, and 2.5 steals on 58-58-95 shooting in wins over the Knicks and Timberwolves.

With Harden set to make his home debut Wednesday in a rematch against New York, here are seven takeaways from The Beard's brief time with his new team.

Harden looks healthy

Aside from his contractual future, the biggest concern in acquiring Harden revolved around his troublesome left hamstring, or at least what we were led to believe was a troublesome hamstring.

Here's why Sixers fans should be hopeful: After a slow start to the season in which Harden appeared to be lacking a burst, the 32-year-old thrived during a 16-game stretch from Dec. 25-Jan. 25. He averaged roughly 26 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds on 59% true shooting while playing more than 38 minutes per contest. Harden then hit the injury report just as rumors about a reunion with Daryl Morey in Philly began popping up and played only two games over the next 30 days before his production once again exploded as a Sixer.

It doesn't matter whether Harden's latest injury was legitimate or part of a ploy to get him out of Brooklyn. The fact is he looked very much like his old self again for a significant stretch before trade rumors hit, and he looks as good as ever in his first week with the Sixers. The Beard lives.

How do you stop Philly's star duo?

Given the level Joel Embiid is playing at right now, pairing him with a superstar playmaker, initiator, and shot-creator seems almost unfair.

Few opponents, if any, are slowing Embiid without doubling him. But give Harden a four-on-three advantage with the ball in his hands, and the Sixers can feast on wide-open shots all night. Play both stars straight-up, and watch them put up historic numbers while parading to the free-throw line.

Philly ranked fourth in free-throw attempt rate prior to Harden's debut, averaging 25.9 free throws per 100 field-goal tries over 58 games. The NBA average is 24.3, while the league-leading Rockets average 28.8. In two games with Harden in the lineup, the Sixers' rate is 50.

Much to the chagrin of opponents and casual fans obsessed with aesthetics, drawing fouls is a skill. The Sixers now have two players better at it than most ballers ever have been. Sure, there's an embellishment from time to time, but the fact Harden and Embiid end up on the free-throw line as often as they do is a testament to how unguardable and crafty both stars are, not an indictment of their playing style.

There's no solving this duo. The hope for opponents will be to concoct strategies that merely minimize the damage.

Embiid's job just got easier

Though he was handling it as well as just about any big man in history, the two-way burden on Embiid's shoulders wasn't sustainable for a team with championship aspirations. The offensive end of that equation looks radically different now, as Embiid's workload has been cut tremendously by Harden's arrival.

In four years as Ben Simmons' teammate, only 45.4% of Embiid's 2-point field goals were assisted by a teammate. Before Philly acquired Harden this season, 49.4% of Embiid's field goals were assisted. In two games beside Harden, 82.4% of Embiid's made shots have been assisted, according to Jackson Frank.

"That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets," Embiid said following Friday's victory in Minnesota. "I used to have to work for everything."

Embiid has spent the majority of his career without a worthy half-court initiator. Harden's arrival, combined with Tyrese Maxey's development and Doc Rivers' newfound commitment to staggering his stars' minutes, means the big man shouldn't have to play any minutes without one anymore.

Of the 67:29 of action Embiid logged against the Knicks and Timberwolves, at least one of Harden or Maxey was on the court for every second; both guards shared 48 of those 67 minutes.

There'll still be plenty of work to do on the defensive end. But the Sixers were already a borderline top-10 team defensively, and they didn't give up any defensive game-changers who've played this season to nab Harden. (Andre Drummond doesn't play enough to qualify as a game-changer, and those minutes only would've diminished further in the playoffs.)

Harden's presence also means the Sixers should better survive minutes with Embiid on the bench, which historically have been the team's undoing.

Harden moving, Harris shooting

For everything Harden has done in his career, one of the things he hasn't done much is move without the ball. The three-time scoring champion expends a ton of energy orchestrating the offense with the ball in his hands, but when he gives it up, he often remains stationary. It's been a fair criticism throughout his career, which is why one moment from Harden's Philly debut pulled keen observers out of their seats.

Watch Harden recognize Anthony Edwards creeping toward the paint to cut off a drive and then flare to the corner, where he finds himself an open 3-pointer:

Harden moving six or seven steps to get an open shot may not seem like much, and he's not suddenly going to become an off-ball savant. But even a few extra relocations a game will open up more opportunities for himself and what already looks like an unstoppable Sixers offense.

Same goes if Tobias Harris finally becomes a more willing catch-and-shoot threat.

Harris' ability to put the ball on the floor, create for himself, and pull up at his size is a valuable skill. But as Sixers fans are well aware by now, the 6-foot-8 forward too often eschews open, catch-and-shoot opportunities to dribble his way into traffic and drive his way into a tougher, more contested look.

He's still done this over the last two games, but it's also been encouraging to see how Harden has influenced Harris' decision-making.

Perhaps it's that Harris is as mind-blown by Harden's playmaking brilliance as the rest of us, but this is a welcome sight for Rivers and the 76ers:

Though Harris hasn't yet shot the ball well with Harden in the lineup, the numbers match the eye test when it comes to his willingness to let it fly on the catch. Before Harden arrived, Harris was averaging 2.8 catch-and-shoot attempts in 35.3 minutes per contest. In two games with Harden, Harris has averaged 5.5 catch-and-shoots in 32.3 minutes, roughly double the attempts in less time.

"That's the thing that I'm gonna stay in his ear about," Harden told reporters Sunday about Harris' catch-and-shoot opportunities. "I don't care if you miss 20 of them. Those are shots we need you to take, because more times than not, you're gonna make those shots."

Maxey taking the advantage

Maxey was thriving with the ball in his hands as one of the league's most improved players this season. Now, the sophomore guard is showing he has the smarts and awareness to still get his off the ball.

Harden's ball dominance can be tough for fellow guards to adapt to, but The Beard's gravity, driving ability, and playmaking vision also present opportunities for teammates to feast off the ball.

Maxey has thus far looked great attacking off the catch against defenses scrambled by Harden's mere presence:

Harden's best Simmons impression

Maxey's also been one of the 76ers benefiting from Harden's underrated ability to get a team out and running.

Harden plays the game in cruise control, and his methodical, ground-bound approach doesn't seem conducive to fast breaks, but he can get a team from defense to offense in no time. That transition threat is one of the things Philly missed most with Simmons out of the lineup. After ranking in the top nine in transition frequency in each of the last four seasons, the Sixers are 24th this campaign.

Harden isn't Simmons in the open floor - few players can be - but he's a lot more equipped to fuel transition opportunities than conventional wisdom suggests, as this four-second sequence from his Philadelphia debut attests:

This isn't how Philly will beat teams with Harden and Embiid, but it's yet another additional layer for an offense that's much more complete and unpredictable than it was just a week ago.

Lingering questions

Who's the fifth starter? Will the Sixers' lack of a reliable, backup center once again derail them?

Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, and perhaps even Georges Niang will battle to answer the first question - not necessarily in terms of who starts games alongside Embiid, Harden, Maxey, and Harris, but who logs the most minutes and finishes games.

Thybulle brings the most defensive upside and can be deployed against the league's biggest and best perimeter threats, but he'll also cramp the floor offensively. Niang and Korkmaz can shoot - although Korkmaz's shot hasn't fallen for him this season - but both are defensive liabilities. Green has lost a step, but his ability to defend and space the floor with his shooting gives Philly the best of both worlds.

The backup center position is a problem. Paul Millsap doesn't have enough juice left to soak up minutes as an undersized five, but the only other option right now is Willie Cauley-Stein, who's playing on a 10-day contract. If Cauley-Stein can earn a roster spot and somewhere around 10 minutes a night when Embiid needs a breather, the Sixers should be thrilled. DeAndre Jordan isn't an upgrade over Cauley-Stein in 2022.

The question of whether Philly has enough shooting will likely come up between now and the postseason; the Sixers rank 24th in 3-point attempt rate. But that shouldn't be much of a concern. Of the team's top eight rotation players, only Thybulle is a definite non-shooter. And though the Sixers are selective in when they get treys up, they rank 10th in 3-point accuracy.

Plus, a team with Harden and Embiid is going to score, so the Sixers should be less reliant on shooting variance. They'll also create advantages on almost every possession, so the capable shooters Philly does employ will be put in positions to succeed.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's senior basketball writer.