“James Harden Should Shave His Beard!”: Despite Joel Embiid’s Historic Drop-Off, Sixers Star Gets Slandered By Stephen A Smith

Akash Murty | 15/05/2023
“James Harden Should Shave His Beard!”: Despite Joel Embiid’s Historic Drop-Off, Sixers Star Gets Slandered By Stephen A Smith

The 2023 MVP, Joel Embiid, has failed to lead his team to the NBA Finals/title in yet another season. And in yet another off-season for the 76ers, it’s going to be their 2nd star who takes most of the fall. Veteran ESPN analyst, Stephen A. Smith, has already gone as far as to advise James Harden to shave off his beard to walk the streets of Philadelphia.

Yes, the Sixers are out of the Playoffs because Harden couldn’t be half as great in Games 6 and 7 as he was in Games 1 and 4. But it was their superstar center, whose fitness and failure to bring his regular season form to the post-season, that has them out of contention for yet another season.

Stephen A. Smith destroys James Harden while thoroughly ignoring Joel Embiid’s drop-off

There is no doubt that The Beard was awful in 4 of the 7 games for Philly against Boston. But it would have been a sweep by the Celtics if not for the 10x All-Star’s brilliance in the other 3 games. The 2018 MVP had 45/6 (Game 1), 42/8/9 (Game 3), and an efficient 17/8/10 in a crucial Game 5 win.

However, Stephen A. Smith slandered Harden left and right after his 9-point performance in the 112-88 Game 7 loss in TD Garden.

“James Harden was so awful, so bad, he should actually shave his beard, so he can hide his identity. That’s how bad he was. It was really, really bad. I say that in all seriousness,” the overly animated Smith said while saying the former Rockets man could face serious repercussions if he walks the streets in Philly.

Embiid, meanwhile, had just three 30-point nights in his 9 appearances in the post-season. His average scores in the playoffs took a ‘-9.4’ points dip compared to his regular season average, according to ESPN Stats & Info. It’s the worst drop-off for any NBA MVP.

Yikes!

What’s next for the Sixers, Harden, and Embiid?

The way head coaches are losing their jobs, it’d be surprising if Doc Rivers keeps his for the 2023-24 season. He might think he has 2-years left in his contract, but this was his 10th overall failure in winning a Game 7 in the playoffs, which is twice more than any other head coach ever.

Harden, who will have an option to extend or become a free agent, isn’t sure about what he’ll do in the off-season. With the surrounding noise returning to the Rockets even before the start of the Playoffs, we can guess what’s coming.

As far as Embiid goes, the man expects more help from the team than completely relying upon him and the second star of the team.

Let’s see what more needs to be added to the “The Process” to get him and the Sixers franchise a championship.

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
James Harden Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers Stephen A Smith

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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