The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the best rosters in the East on paper led by one of the best players in the game regardless of position in Joel Embiid as well as a future Hall of Famer in James Harden.
The Sixers acquired Harden from the Brooklyn Nets at the deadline and while he did not look like his MVP self, he still averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at and he made life much easier for Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey on the offensive end of the floor.
Now that Harden is re-signed to a 2-year deal, and a full summer to rest from his hamstring injury, the hope is that he can give even more in the 2022-23 season. ESPN’s Jay Williams believes Harden can be that guy again for Philadelphia:
The drive that I’m kind of starting to feel from James Harden is different. I’m just seeing the vibes kind of change. Now, the vibe of him leaving from Houston, I don’t think he was being a professional the right way and how he handled that, but as there’s been more color provided with what’s happening with Brooklyn, I’m starting to understand a little bit more why James Harden won out of that situation and I’m seeing him kind of see things from a leadership perspective where I’m like, ‘Okay, James, like you’re working out now. I’m hearing about you building, buying into getting your body right.’ I’m not saying he’s not going to be injury prone, but the man did come up with a hamstring injury last year, and almost averaged a triple-double and was a shell of himself. So that’s where I get a little bit scared, like, ‘Oh, you’re a shell of yourself, you weren’t the same player, but you did almost average a triple-double.’ So if you can get it to a different gear, if you can add more of a defensive prowess to this team, and Joel Embiid playing with the same kind of anger because he didn’t get MVP the last two years, I see them in the upper echelon. They’re going to be there.
Time will tell whether Philadelphia can make a run to the NBA Finals, but they have just as good a chance as anybody. The Sixers will just have to figure out how to overcome the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, and the Miami Heat as well as the Nets–if they keep Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving–in a tough Eastern Conference.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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