Joel Embiid ‘extremely surprised’ James Harden was left off All-Star team
“As much as I feel like I deserve it and would like to be a part of it,” Harden said, “a few years ago I just gave up the fact [and said] ‘All right, it’s about winning a championship at this point.’"
SAN ANTONIO — When approached following Friday’s shootaround for his reaction to not being selected an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve, James Harden said he had “nothing to say.”
Yet the standout guard, along with teammate Joel Embiid, expressed disappointment about Harden’s perceived snub following the 76ers’ 137-125 victory over the Spurs, before Harden reinforced that his primary goal is to win an NBA title.
“As much as I feel like I deserve it and would like to be a part of it,” Harden said, “a few years ago, I just gave up the fact [and said] ‘All right, it’s about winning a championship at this point.’ Because all the individual accolades I’ve basically accomplished, and you want to control what you can control. The numbers show for it. We’ve got one goal, and that’s all I care about.”
Added Embiid: “It was really disappointing. I was extremely surprised. I couldn’t believe it. That’s why I sent the tweet yesterday [saying ‘Y’all got some explaining to do @NBA’]. It was unbelievable. I don’t know. Between that and what’s been happening in the past. I don’t know, something’s not adding up. I don’t know what to say.”
Harden’s and Embiid’s comments came hours after coach Doc Rivers broke routine and shared his shock at the news to The Inquirer following shootaround. Rivers cited Harden’s individual statistics, the Sixers’ 34-17 record to sit third in the Eastern Conference standings and Harden’s career body of work as reasons he should be included. Rivers also called for the coaches’ votes that determine the reserves be made public.
“The most disappointing part for me,” Rivers said, “we’ve asked James Harden to sacrifice for the team, to make the team better. He’s done that and he still has gotten the numbers. That should stand out, and, somehow, it didn’t.”
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Harden’s exclusion snaps a streak of 10 consecutive All-Star selections for the former NBA MVP. He leads the NBA with 10.9 assists per game and also is averaging 21.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with four triple-doubles. He missed about a month with a foot sprain early in the season but has played in 26 of 28 games since returning in early December.
Harden spearheads a Sixers offense that has ranks second in the NBA in efficiency (120.8 points per 100 possessions) during its last 15 games, which essentially aligns with when the team returned to full health after Tyrese Maxey’s fractured foot healed.
“Everything goes through him,” said Embiid, the NBA’s leading scorer who made his sixth consecutive All-Star team Thursday. “He gets guys easy shots. As a playmaker, I don’t think there’s anybody better in the league as far as getting guys wide-open shots and just running our offense.”
It is possible Harden could be added to the All-Star team as an injury replacement, should a selected player become unable to participate sometime before Feb. 17. The Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, and the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam also are contenders to fill such a spot.
“Hopefully something happens where he can make it,” Embiid said of Harden.