30 NBA Players in 30 Days: James Harden
Day 23 of our NBA season countdown brings us to the Philadelphia 76ers to preview the crucial, upcoming season for James Harden. The last 2 years for Harden has been a highly eventful time period for any superstar in the league’s history. From coming into the Rockets training camp out of shape and forcing his way to Brooklyn, then battling an injured hamstring during the 2021 playoffs, then going through the drama of the Nets’ season last year, to finding himself in a trade for Ben Simmons to the Sixers. We as NBA fans often talk about the stars of the league and their legacies, and Harden’s legacy is really complicated to talk about. For a player that has had so much success individually and statistically, his team success does not match the resume, and he has a lot of responsibility for his teams’ shortcomings. With a full offseason playing with the team, and with the new additions that were added to the roster, Harden and the Sixers plan to be right back into the mix of the top teams in the East. Even though the best player on the team is clearly Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ chances of making it to the Finals this year are heavily placed in Harden’s hands. Embiid can get them to another 2nd round appearance, but it’s Harden who can raise the ceiling of this team if he is able to get closer to who he was for the Rockets. If it has not already been “gut check time” for Harden and how we remember what type of player he was, this season is certainly finally that time.
Last season, Harden put up 22 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 10.3 APG, on 41 FG%, and 33 FG3%. Obviously, the two stats that jump off the page in a bad way are his shooting splits. For a player that used to compete with the league’s best offensive stars, Harden’s efficiency and dominance has dropped off quite a bit the last couple of seasons, and there are parts of his game that are just not the same. For one, the injuries and him being out of shape has a huge effect on how he is able to score. He used to be able to blow past any defender with his quick first step, and then his big frame would help him carry guys all the way to the rim and finish strong or draw a foul. Whether we want to blame it on how out of shape he was or his aging body, we will see it this season. According to an interview during media day, Harden joked around saying he lost 100 pounds over the offseason. Even though it was him having a bit of fun, if Harden was really serious about his conditioning and body weight this offseason, losing some pounds to get leaner would certainly help him get back to that Houston form. If he can move around better and not be a heavy-footed guard, then his offense will certainly improve. Pairing his creativity as a playmaker with his exciting and electric backcourt mate Tyrese Maxey, those two will definitely be competing for the spot of top scoring backcourts. As I said before, Joel Embiid is the best player on the Sixers, and that is not changing any time soon. Other than injury issues and staying healthy all season, there is not much else to worry about with him. He has the talent, the physical attributes, paired with the mindset and personality of a superstar center. If he misses games in critical parts of the season, especially in the playoffs, you can kiss this season goodbye. The pairing between Embiid and Harden is interesting, and the Sixers are going to have to ride them out in order for them to get to the Finals for the first time in their careers. After losing in Game 6 against the Heat, Embiid had a polarizing quote of, “Everyone was expecting Houston James Harden, but that’s not who he is anymore”. We were all thinking it, but no one would have expected him to say it so bluntly, even though Embiid called out Ben Simmons after the devastating Game 7 loss against the Hawks in the 2021 playoffs.
Harden has led the league in scoring, won MVP, and will certainly go down as one of the league’s most dominant offensive players in history. What he does not have are great playoff moments, aside from having an incredible WCF series in 2012 against the Spurs, when he was in his 3rd season. From the outside, it does look like he has changed his mindset and approach to not only his game, but his career’s legacy as a whole. Harden restructured his extension with the Sixers and took less money so that they could have more flexibility to acquire better players to fill out the roster. They were able to sign PJ Tucker and trade for De’Anthony Melton, two playoff ready players that are able to play off of Harden on offense. It’s now or never for “The Beard”. The truly great players are the ones who answer the call when it seems like all hope is lost or when their backs are against the wall. Another disappointing season and showing from Harden means he will confirm all of the doubts many of us have had throughout his career. A breakthrough and an encouraging deep playoff run, and maybe he will force us to change our perspective on the tortured superstar.
