Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden may not be the explosive MVP scorer he once was with the Houston Rockets, but the way he continues to impact the game is still impressive.
Despite dealing with a bad hamstring and being on the wrong side of 30, Harden had a “down year” averaging 21 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games with the Sixers. The Beard was still able to have a big impact on the floor despite not being the same player he was in Houston.
In a player ranking done by The Athletic, Harden has been placed in the 2B tier by Seth Partnow. He is in the same tier as Trae Young, Ja Morant and Anthony Davis.
Partnow on Harden:
Perhaps last season’s apparent decline resulted from the combination of lingering effects from his hamstring injury in the 2021 playoffs and Brooklyn’s overall 2021-22 Season From Hell. Alternatively, maybe the wheels are starting to come off for a soon-to-be 33-year-old who has played the most total minutes and minutes per game (37 in the load management era!) since he was traded to Houston a decade ago.
Much like Young, Harden would be well-served to improve his off-ball game. The 76ers too often resembled a “Harden team” rather than a “Joel Embiid team,” when the latter is unquestionably Philly’s best player at this point. Further, with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have another player capable of ball-in-hands dynamism off whom Harden could play.
The fact Harden is able to have a full summer of being able to rest and do his usual workouts, he should be able to contribute at a higher level. On top of that, the Sixers will benefit from a full training camp with him in the fold heading into the 2022-23 season.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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