James Harden all smiles as he excels in Philadelphia 76ers debut after blockbuster trade

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT) February 26, 2022

James Harden drives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 25.

(CNN)Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid squeezes a plastic water bottle into his mouth, looks over to the player he's sharing the press conference table with and says: «That's good.»

They both break into laughs and smile as they bask in the post-victory feeling. Embiid's new 76ers teammate, James Harden, has settled into life in Philadelphia very quickly after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets, quickly striking up a friendship with Embiid.And after a hamstring injury and the NBA All-Star break, Harden finally was able to make his debut for his new team, excelling in the 76ers' blowout 133-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Embiid and Harden celebrate after Harden drew a foul against Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter.The 32-year-old finished with 27 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, while Embiid continued his MVP pace, contributing 34 points and 10 rebounds. Read MoreAnd in that post-game press conference, the Cameroonian center was full of praise for his new teammate and in particular, his passing ability. ''I've never been wide open like this in my life," the 27-year-old said. «Seriously, the passing, like I wasn't even expecting it and it was just coming.''Harden was paired with Embiid after being traded from the Nets earlier in February.While the 10-time All-Star and 2018 MVP headed to Philadelphia, Ben Simmons went the other way to Brooklyn. Although Simmons has yet to make his Nets debut, Harden's couldn't have gone much better. He was passing and shooting like he can do so