James Harden says Philadelphia 76ers were his first choice when he was leaving Houston: “I just knew for a very long time that this is a perfect fit,” calls Joel Embiid the best big man in NBA

Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden reassured the fans that Philly was his first choice in his introductory news conference.

Speaking to the media for the first time as a member of the 76ers, the former Brooklyn Nets guard spoke about why he wanted to come to Philly. Harden said:

"Originally, when I was going through everything I was going through in Houston, Philly was my first choice. It just didn't happen."

Harden said the 76ers organization is a perfect fit for him, and that is a big reason why he wanted to come to Philadelphia. Harden said:

"I just knew for a very long time that this was a perfect fit, and you obviously have the best big man in the league in Joel, and then obviously the coaching, just from top to bottom it makes sense.

"I'm just happy and blessed that I'm here and as (coach) Doc (Rivers) and everybody knows and everybody wants is to win and be the last team standing, so I'm excited for the opportunity."

"The Beard" was asked why he opted to go to the Nets last season instead of the 76ers, and he said that it wasn't in his control. Harden said:

"Organizations got to do what's best for their team, present and future. So, it didn't work like that. I had to go to Brooklyn, which, obviously, we all know that could've been something special."

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How important is James Harden to the 76ers?

Harden in action against the Phoenix Suns

One of the greatest scorers the game has seen, James Harden was an unstoppable machine during his nine seasons with the Houston Rockets. However, he was also a great facilitator, and the Philadelphia 76ers need the perfect combination of both for their championship aspirations.

Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 8 rebounds and 10.2 assists while shooting better than 33% from beyond the arc and over 41% from the field. He has nine triple-doubles and 29 double-doubles.

Out of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, Harden was the most consistent Net in terms of availability. He missed only 12 games, and the Nets lost eight of them, underlying his importance. Six of those games (with Brooklyn going 0-6) came in his final days as a Net, when he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

What makes Harden great is his ability to be a quintessential point guard and also be a scoring machine who can excel in one-on-one situations. He will, in all likelihood, run the pick and roll with Joel Embiid. And the duo have the potential to be the best one-two punch in the NBA since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

The 76ers have gambled big time on Harden as they have given away arguably the best defender in the league (Ben Simmons) and a sharpshooter (Seth Curry). While Harden is a liability defensively, he has the offensive prowess to overcome that, and that is what the 76ers are counting on this season.