MILWAUKEE, WIS. — James Harden has not yet taken the court as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He is still nursing the hamstring issue that bothered him at the end of his time with the Brooklyn Nets. He has made his presence felt anyway.
Harden traveled with the team to Milwaukee on Thursday, despite not being able to play, because he wanted to build bonds and chemistry with his new teammates rather than wait until after the All-Star break. It wasn’t anything that coach Doc Rivers or anyone else asked him to do. He wanted to do this to help the team.
In Thursday’s impressive win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, Harden was on the bench getting into his teammates’ ears. There was a run in the second quarter when Tyrese Maxey rattled off 14 points. Harden was on the bench being the catalyst, coaching his young teammate.
After the win, the Sixers were impressed with Harden for what he has done thus far just as a leader: