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Do James Harden and Joel Embiid Make Sense Together?

If the two All-Stars join forces in Philadelphia, here’s how their games could mesh—or clash.

Despite a wave of conflicting reports and rumors as we near Thursday’s trade deadline, the subject of James Harden and Joel Embiid becoming teammates someday in the near future increasingly feels more when than if.

While it’s obviously too soon to provide any complete, detailed analysis about how that partnership will best function—we’re far from knowing their hypothetical supporting cast, for starters—both superstars are well-known personalities with preferred playing styles. Their theoretical co-existence is no great mystery. Hundreds of games between the two help provide a road map toward understanding how they’d organically complement one another while inducing mutual sacrifice and adaptation.