Niang, Sixers Confident in James Harden's Ability to Take Over

As the Philadelphia 76ers enter their round two playoff series against the Miami Heat, they'll continue their postseason run without Joel Embiid on the floor.

As the Philadelphia 76ers enter their round two playoff series against the Miami Heat, they'll continue their postseason run without Joel Embiid on the floor.

During the Sixers' first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, Embiid suffered a torn ligament in his thumb during Game 3. Although Embiid planned to out surgery off to the side and played through the pain, he couldn't make it out of the first round without suffering two more setbacks.

An elbow to the face caused an orbital fracture and a concussion for Embiid. Now, he's set to miss at least the first two games against the Heat. Therefore, the Sixers will rely heavily on their second All-Star, James Harden, to run the offense.

“[I just have to] be more aggressive," said Sixers guard James Harden. "I’ve been doing this — I’m comfortable and have been doing this for a long time. Just taking what the defense gives me and being aggressive and making the right decision once I get to that point. More floor spacing and more attacks to the basket. We just have to play free — free and with the ultimate confidence as a group.” 

Ever since Harden joined the SIxers back in February, the veteran All-Star has been more of a playmaker than a go-to scorer on the offensive end. Considering Embiid's had an MVP caliber year and was the NBA's scoring champion, it made sense for Harden to get the big man scoring opportunities rather than take away baskets from Embiid.

But with Embiid out of the picture, for the time being, the Sixers need Harden to get back to his old ways for a bit. And 76ers veteran forward Georges Niang is confident that Harden is still more than capable of playing that role.

“We still have a guy that can control the game, that can score at an elite level, and really, a guy that [can generate assists]," said Niang. “I think it’s really gonna come down to us making shots and being available and when James gets double-teamed. I feel more than comfortable having the ball in James’ hands and the offense tailored to him. He’s a top 75 player, right? So who wouldn’t want to have their offense tailored to him?"

Over the last two regular seasons, Harden received criticism for his scoring averages going down. But the ten-time All-Star made it clear that it doesn't matter how many points he scores personally, as long as he helps generate scoring on the offensive end and helps collect the win is all that matters at the end.

“James is an unbelievable scorer,” Niang explained. “He's an unbelievable passer. So, the offense being tailored around him, missing Jo is a huge piece, don’t get me wrong, but having the offense tailored around James is, I don’t want to say just as good, but it’s still great for us.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.