James Harden will make 76ers debut Friday vs. Timberwolves

The Philadelphia 76ers will get their first look at James Harden when he makes his team debut Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harden was sidelined with a hamstring injury and sat out through the All-Star break but is good to go Friday.

76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey long sought Harden to pair with big man Joel Embiid and was finally able to get a deal done for the shooting guard. Morey first brought Harden to the Houston Rockets from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the guard blossomed into a star and MVP. We’ll see if he can reach those same levels in Philadelphia, especially with a new roster around him and a dominant big man who demands post touches.

The 76ers are currently +700 to win the title per DraftKings Sportsbook and +370 to win the East. Philadelphia saw its odds rise after the Harden trade at the deadline, and we’ll start to see if that rise was justified in Friday’s game.