Joel Embiid responded to James Harden’s claim that the Sixers stymied him, saying: “We gave him the ball on every possession.”

Joel Embiid wished James Harden well.

The 76ers center said he’s happy for his former teammate, who got his wish in a trade to his hometown Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

But Embiid disagreed with Harden’s assessment that he has been held back as a Sixer player the past two seasons.

“I think he did a lot of great things for us,” Embiid said Thursday night. “But in my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good. He’s an unbelievable player. Obviously, being a great passer, I think we gave him the ball…we were giving him the ball every possession to come out, you know, do What he wanted. From there he had to make decisions regarding whether to get the men to open up or look out for themselves.

“But I thought he did a very good job of getting us into the attack and passing the ball and getting guys open. That’s why he won the assists title last year.

Harden led the NBA last season with 10.7 assists per game to average 21.0 points. They were the first Sixer to win the league’s deciding title since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68. Harden and Embiid, who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award and his second straight scoring title, formed one of the best duos in the league.

But during the Clippers’ introductory press conference, Harden painted a picture Thursday of his backwardness.

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“Philly is just changing my role, knowing I can get more, knowing I can do more,” Harden said. “But if you want to be honest, like be restricted.

“I know, for us to get to where we want to get to, I was going to give my best offensively, whether it was facilitating and scoring the basketball and Joel as well. And I never had that opportunity.”

When asked to clarify his driving statement, Harden clarified that he didn’t mean shooting the basketball all the time. He said he thinks about the game and is creative on the field.

“If I had to talk to where I could say, ‘Hey coach, I see this,’” Harden said. “What do you think about this? Then it’s like, oh okay. Someone who trusts me, believes in me, understands me. I’m not a system player. “I am a system.”

He said all he really cares about is having someone to have a conversation with and who can make adjustments quickly.

“That’s all I really care about,” Harden said. “It’s not about me scoring basketball, scoring 34 points a night. I’ve already done that.”

The 2018 MVP and three-time scoring champion’s comments were a shot at former coach Doc Rivers. It’s no secret that the two have never met face to face.

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But people will come to the conclusion that Harden is delusional. They will say the 34-year-old wants to regain the freedom to hold the ball.

They’ll say that’s why he didn’t fit in with the Sixers. By voicing his opinion, they wonder if he would fit in in Los Angeles.

But Clippers coach Ty Lue believes Harden, along with the talents of All-Stars and Los Angeles natives Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, will make the necessary adjustments to turn the Clippers into NBA championship contenders.

“The sacrifice is going to be the biggest thing,” Lu said. “Four guys from Los Angeles, four guys who have done a lot in their careers. They get it, and they talked about winning a championship. That’s all we’re focused on.”

“It’s going to take a lot of sacrifices, whether it’s shots, whether it’s minutes. And they’re willing to do that.”

As a Sixer, Harden was at his best as a facilitator and had a hand in Embiid’s MVP award.

Nearly half of his assists per game went to the centre. Additionally, Harden’s scoring average and shot attempts (14.5 per game) were the lowest of his career since he averaged 16.8 points and 10.1 steals as a third-year player with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So it was about sacrifice, a sacrifice the Clippers believe they will continue to make.

“James Harden has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing: He wants to win a championship for the Los Angeles Clippers,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told the media. “He wants to be part of something bigger than himself. … These guys all have individual accomplishments. They’ve made a lot of money. This is about one goal.”

But that was the same goal when he arrived in Philadelphia on February 10, 2022. On the court, Harden often dominated the ball and controlled much of what the Sixers did.