Philadelphia 76ers: 3 players that must step up in James Harden’s absence

Joel Embiid

We must be honest here; if the Sixers are going to snap out of this early-season funk, they’re going to need the best possible version of Joel Embiid. The good news is that after a somewhat slow start to the season, Embiid has looked much improved in the last four games that he’s played.

If that’s the Embiid the Sixers are going to get over the next few weeks with Harden injured, this is a player that will effectively throw his name into the MVP race. He’s been that good over the last few games. But that could be a big ask.

Embiid will likely need to up his averages a few notches if the Sixers want a seamless few weeks without Harden. For as talented as Embiid is, I’m not sure how fair of an ask that is. But isn’t that what MVPs do?

The next few weeks would be interesting for the Sixers. Their season won’t be made or broken by what this team does in the month without Harden, but it could go a long way in them getting back where they need to be.