“It’s going to be hard to defend James Harden and Joel Embiid without fouling”: Kendrick Perkins warns the NBA about the Sixers stars’ foul-drawing abilities

Akash Murty | 26/02/2022
"It’s going to be hard to defend James Harden and Joel Embiid without fouling": Kendrick Perkins warns the NBA about the Sixers stars' foul-drawing abilities

Joel Embiid and James Harden are some of the most prolific scorers in the league, the duo’s free-throw threat can become a cheat code for the Sixers.

Joel Embiid finally gets to play with another superstar by his side for the first time this season. And for the first time in years with an All-Star who could share the scoring responsibility with the big man.

That is not a shot at anyone. Ben Simmons was everything for the Sixers but a scorer. Now that they have traded their All-NBA guard for another, they look much better offensively.

With James Harden leading the backcourt and Embiid leading the front, there is hardly anything their opponents can do to stop the all-out attack by this new-look Philly team.

Also read: “James Harden is a great person, always smiling, fun to be around..”: Joel Embiid states the former MVP has adapted to the Doc Rivers system of basketball

Friday night, The Beard made his debut for his newest team and the duo did just that. Philly’s 80% of points before the fourth quarter had either Harden or Embiid’s contribution via points or assists.

But what’s scarier is the duo’s consistent threat of getting the foul calls.

“It’s going to be hard to defend James Harden and Joel Embiid without fouling”: Kendrick Perkins

The new partners did not find it tough to get going, even against a Timberwolves side that just came after winning a high-intensity game against one of the league’s best teams this season, the Memphis Grizzlies.

What got everyone’s attention was the duo’s ability to get the foul calls which is a big aspect of both players’ games. Former NBA champ and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins pointed the same out saying that it will be tough to defend those two without fouling.

Also read: “I did a lot of chasing around trying to get Ben Simmons back and make him feel comfortable again”: Joel Embiid drops the truth bomb on the former Sixers guard forcing himself out of Philadelphia

In a 133-102 blow out victory, Joel and James went to the free-throw line a combined 22 times and converted 19. Whereas the Timberwolves as a team got 25 attempts from the charity line.

This could be one of the best ways to get it going for the Sixers if they find themselves struggling on the offensive end. And with Playoffs approaching close, their opponents have too little time to negate this problem.

 

 

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
James Harden Joel Embiid Kendrick Perkins

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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