Joel Embiid counters James Harden’s claim that the Sixers held him back, saying ‘we gave him the ball every single possession’

Joel Embiid wished James Harden well.

The 76ers center said he’s happy for his former teammate, who was granted his wish of being traded to his hometown Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

But Embiid disagreed with Harden’s assessment that he was held back as a Sixer the past two seasons.

“I think he did a lot of great things for us,” Embiid said Thursday night. “But in my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good. He’s an amazing player. Obviously, being that great of a passer, I think we gave him the ball ...we’d give him the ball every single possession to just go out and, you know, do his thing. And from there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself.

“But I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into an offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assist title last year.”

Harden led the NBA in assists this past season at 10.7 per game to go with averaging 21.0 points. He was the first Sixer to win the league assist title since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68. Harden and Embiid, who won league MVP and his second straight scoring title, formed one of the league’s best duos.

But during his Clippers’ introductory press conference, Harden painted a picture Thursday of being held back.

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“Philly is just changing my role, knowing I could get more, knowing I could do more,” Harden said. “But if you want to be honest, like being on a leash.

“Like me knowing, in order for us to get where we want to get to, I was going to play my best offensively, whether it’s facilitating and scoring the basketball and Joel as well. And I never had that opportunity.”

Asked to clarify his leash statement, Harden explained he didn’t mean shooting the basketball all the time. He said he thinks the game and is a creator on the court.

“So if I got to voice to where I can say, ‘Hey, coach, I see this,” Harden said. ”What do you think about this? Then it’s like, oh ok. Someone that trusts me, believes in me, that understands me. I’m not a system player. I am a system.”

He said all he really cares about is having someone that has a dialogue with him, and can make adjustments on the fly.

“That’s all I really care about,” Harden said. “It’s not about me scoring the basketball, scoring 34 points a night. I’ve done that already.”

The 2018 MVP and three-time scoring champion’s comments were a shot at former coach Doc Rivers. It’s no secret the two didn’t see eye-to-eye.

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But folks are going to come to the conclusion that Harden is delusional. They’ll say that the 34-year-old wants to regain the freedom to hog the ball.

They’ll say that’s why he wasn’t a good fit for the Sixers. And by speaking his mind, they wonder if he’ll be a good fit in Los Angeles.

But Clippers coach Ty Lue believes that Harden, along with All-Star perimeter talents and co-Los Angeles natives Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, will make the adjustments needed to turn the Clippers into NBA championship contenders.

“Sacrifice is going to be the biggest thing,” Lue said. “Four guys from L.A., and four guys that have done a lot in their careers. So they understand, and they’ve talked about winning a championship. That’s all we’re focused on.

“It’s going to take a lot of sacrifice, whether it’s shots, whether it’s minutes. They’re willing to do that.”

As a Sixer, Harden was at his best as a facilitator and had a hand in Embiid’s MVP.

Nearly half of his assists per game went to the center. In addition, Harden’s scoring average and shot attempts (14.5 per game) were the lowest of his career since averaging 16.8 points and 10.1 shots as a third-year player with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So it was about sacrifice, one that Clippers believe he’ll continue to make.

“James Harden has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing: He wants to win a championship for the L.A. Clippers,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said to the media. “He wants to be a part of something bigger than himself. … These guys have all the individual accomplishments. They’ve made a lot of money. This is about one goal.”

But that was the same goal upon his arrival to Philadelphia via a Feb. 10, 2022. On the court, Harden often dominated the ball and controlled a lot of what the Sixers were doing.