The last time we saw Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, he was struggling to be productive in Game 6 against the Miami Heat. Harden had only 11 points on nine shots with his team facing elimination, and he only took two shots after halftime.
After that, questions arose whether Harden was truly healthy and good to go. He dealt with a hamstring issue throughout the season’s second half and playoffs, and one has to believe he was affected by it since he lacked the explosiveness long associated with him.
Harden has been back in the gym working out, so it seems he will have a full offseason after having to rehab in the past. Harden’s former teammate with the Houston Rockets, Iman Shumpert, came to his defense. He brought up the hamstring issue amid criticisms of his conditioning as well:
You can’t do cardio on a hamstring bro. The one thing you can’t do. Y’all mad at the man for having a hamstring injury and then putting on some weight. … His hamstring was hurt. He can’t do cardio. He’s gonna gain a little weight, man. I know y’all see it. He got the fat boy traits. He got it!
The Sixers hope Harden having a full offseason to work out and not worry about the hamstring will do wonders for him in the 2022-23 season. The future Hall of Famer is still a star, but he clearly lacked his past explosiveness. Maybe a full offseason will help him get back to where he used to be.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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