James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers are in the midst of a messy situation. The future Hall of Famer wants out of Philadelphia, but his legacy and place in NBA history is cemented.
Harden will go down as one of the greatest to ever play this game. He is arguably the best pure scorer the game has ever seen. He has found plenty of ways to put the ball in the basket and is also an elite playmaker. He led the league in assists in the 2022-23 season (10.7 per game).
HoopsHype put together a list of the top 77 players in the history of the NBA and Harden comes in 39th:
James Harden already has a Hall-of-Fame resume thanks to his unreal scoring ability and playmaking. His crossover and stepback jumper have made him impossible to slow down when he gets going, as does his strong shoulder on drives to the rim. He has a chance to add to his legacy in a major way over the coming years, though time is starting to run out, as Harden might no longer be in his prime.
Believe it or not, Harden is now higher on the all-time assists list than he is on the scoring list, which speaks to his genius as a playmaker to go with his historical scoring skills. But he continues to fall short in the playoffs, which might just be a part of his legacy.
The only thing missing for Harden is a championship. The Beard probably has his best chance at winning in Philadelphia. His partnership with Joel Embiid was one of the best in 2022-23 as the pick-and-roll tandem was almost unstoppable for some teams.
If Harden truly wants to win, he will put his problems with President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey behind him and keep building a contender with Embiid.
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