CAMDEN, N.J.–Everybody knows what Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden brings to the table. He’s an elite scorer who can take games over in the blink of an eye and he can throw teams on his back whenever the time calls for it.
On the flip side, some might not have known about his passing and playmaking skills. Harden is averaging 14 assists in his first two games in Philadelphia after having 12 in his debut and then 16 on Sunday. He has been impressive on the floor in terms of running the team and some might not have known that about his game.
Philadelphia has been able to get up and down the floor and that means more opportunities for guys like Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey. They all have benefited from playing next to Harden in transition.
“When you get a guy like James who just came in here and implemented his type of play, getting up and down, he’s such a great passer, a willing passer as well, getting guys involved,” said Harris. “He’s really good at finding ways a defense makes mistakes. You see Matisse get a bunch of cuts and lobs at the rim, Tyrese getting out in transition, he’s hitting Joel’s (Embiid) pick-and-rolls, all the way down the line of how he plays.”
Harden has had an impact on this team in both games and in practice. While some believe that Harden is a bad teammate, he has made an impact in the early part of his time in Philadelphia as a guy who can get others involved and help his teammates rather than focus on just himself.
“Just how much of a basketball savant he is,” said Georges Niang. “How his attention to detail, how he’s always focusing on the little things that can make him better. People only see the outside and the stepbacks and the things that he does, but he’s really detailed in his practice and his game to help all of us, not only himself. I think that’s been a pleasant surprise for me especially because it’s someone who’s a really good passer.”
James Harden getting a workout in after practice today #Sixers pic.twitter.com/6AP4ewpGqG
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) March 1, 2022
Harden’s ability to both score and make plays for others makes him a very tough guard. The opposition doesn’t know what he will do in terms of either scoring or making the extra pass.
“He’s led the league in scoring multiple times, but the fact that he’s such a great passer, has good vision, and he gets it on time, on target, has the ball on a rope, I think it opens up the floor for him a lot,” added Danny Green. “It makes the game easier for a lot of us and it keeps the defense honest so to have that threat out there, it makes it very tough for teams to guard when you don’t really know what he’s gonna do.”
Harden began his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder playing next to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. When he came in, he was known more as a passer, and per coach Doc Rivers, he was used more as a point guard.
“People forget his rookie year, his first two years, at Oklahoma, when he came in, he was the point guard,” said Rivers. “They moved Russ over to the 2, I think people forget that. Scotty Brooks wanted him to be the facilitator more. What I think we were all surprised with is when he went to Houston that he can score the way he scores. He came in the league more as a passer.”
Either way, it’s clear that Harden is making his mark so far in Philadelphia as they all move forward.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!