Tag: James Harden

Tyrese Maxey reacts to winning MIP, gives credit to Ben Simmons, James Harden

Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey reacts to winning the MIP award and gives credit to Ben Simmons, James Harden, and others.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers put the ball in the hands of Tyrese Maxey in the 2023-24 season amid the James Harden saga and the young guard didn’t blink. In his fourth season in the league, he averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 45% from the floor and 37.3% from deep.

He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and his continued improvement allowed him to be named the Most Improved Player for the 2023-24 season.

For a guy whose motto is “get 1% better every day,” there was no better player to give the award to.

“It means a lot to me just because it’s something that I preach,” he said about winning the award. “Something that I live by and it’s not fake or something I started last year. I’ve been saying that for a very long time. My pop’s been on me about it. He always said proper preparation prevents poor performance so for me, it does really mean a lot.”

The 21st pick of the 2020 NBA draft, Maxey has been an absolute steal for Philadelphia. He has taken leaps and bounds throughout his career, and his rise to stardom in the league has been fascinating and impressive.

“It’s just a testament to the work,” he added. “I appreciate everybody who’s helped me along this way. Trainers, family members, people who actually believed in me, and everybody keeps saying when I got drafted I said I’d work extremely hard and I’ll make sure it’s not a regret. I really meant those things. I wanna keep building and keep getting better every single day.”

It also helps Maxey has had teammates he could learn from: Ben Simmons, James Harden, Kyle Lowry and others have all played a part in his development. Simmons and Harden receive ire from the city of Philadelphia, but both players received credit from Maxey.

“It’s helped a lot,” Maxey said of his teammates. “I’ve learned from a lot of people. Honestly, I go down a list. Ben was here, George Hill was here, guys like Danny Green was involved, but he was a leader. He was here who helped me a lot. I talked about him last night just about recovery and things like that. JH comes in, he helps me big time. Kyle Lowry, Pat Bev, those guys.”

Simmons has given love to Maxey in the past and Harden has as well. Harden, especially, has a special place in Maxey’s development and he made sure to give him another shoutout.

“What they all did here, they never, like, stepped on my toes,” Maxey finished. “They never hated. They always tried to build me up and I just really appreciate them for that. Especially, like, James man. He never wanted to step on my toes. He always wanted me to be aggressive and shoutout to him. I appreciate him.”

Maxey and the Sixers will now look to get on the board in the playoffs when they host the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the first round on Thursday.

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Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey praises James Harden for helping his development

Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey gives praise to James Harden for helping him with his development.

PHILADELPHIA — James Harden did good things while he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. His numbers were solid: averages of 21 points and 10.6 assists in his 1 1/2 seasons in Philadelphia. And he helped the development and play of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

Maxey, especially, has taken a lot from his time with Harden. The fourth-year guard was a first-time All-Star and showed off his skills in a 108-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Maxey went toe-to-toe with Harden and put up 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the loss. The young guard gave abundant praise to Harden for helping him with his development.

“It was a game when he came to our team and he didn’t play in Milwaukee and — right before the All-Star break — and I remember like coming down in the first quarter and just like kind of just throwing the ball to Joel, throwing the ball to Joel, just passing, not really being aggressive,” Maxey recalled from his time with Harden. “He just pulled me to the side and was like, ‘You do understand, like, you’re a special player and you can go out there and you can play your own brand of basketball and still defer to Joel.'”

Essentially, Harden wanted Maxey to understand that he has to find that balance of scoring as well as making plays for others on the floor. Yes, he had to defer to Harden and Embiid, but he had to score as well to make life easier for everybody on the floor.

“‘You have to go out there and you have to be aggressive for Joel to get open,'” Maxey continued on the advice from Harden. “‘If you’re just going to come off the pick-and-roll, you’re going to come out there and just throw the ball to Joel every single time, then the defense is going to be on him and it’s going to make it harder for him.’ So after that day, even when he came and started playing, I still had to defer those guys, but when I had the ball, he wanted me to be aggressive, and I think Joel was the same way so both of those guys have really helped me in my development.”

It’s obvious Harden and Maxey still have a great relationship. The two were messing with each other early in the game when Maxey was called for a foul on a Harden 3-pointer.

“Much love to James,” Maxey smiled. “It’s funny, just messing with him throughout the game, I was telling him that when I fouled him, I didn’t try to hurt him. He was like, ‘No, you tried to hurt me!’ I said ‘No, never bro. Never try to hurt you, man’, but it was great.”

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James Harden talks Sixers tenure, Daryl Morey, Joel Embiid in return

Los Angeles Clippers guard discusses his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid, and Daryl Morey.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed James Harden back to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Beard spent 1 1/2 seasons with the Sixers after being acquired at the 2022 deadline from the Brooklyn Nets.

In 79 games for the Sixers across two seasons, Harden averaged 21 points, 10.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 37% from deep and 43.1% from the floor. He led the league in assists in the 2022-23 season and did many good things for Philadelphi. He and Joel Embiid were one of the best duos in the league.

“I think I did a lot,” Harden said of his time in Philadelphia after a Clippers win. “I had a very impactful — positive impact on a lot of people. I’m grateful for those relationships. I’m grateful for the opportunity and things like that. Those are things that I can cherish and move on with. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

It was a tumultuous summer, highlights by Harden calling out President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey as a “liar.” The situation was tenuous all offseason. Philadelphia then shipped Harden to the Clippers in October.

“I guess you look at it in a whole in life, and things that you want and feel like should happen, and they don’t happen,” Harden stated. “So it’s like, ‘Alright, cool. What’s next?’ Obviously, people always have a commentary on it, or their side, or an opinion just because they’re outside looking in.”

Harden believed the Sixers hoodwinked him after he made a sacrifice in the 2022 offseason. He wanted to get paid in the 2023 offseason, and it wasn’t happening.

“For me, personally, I feel like I did everything that I needed to do in the sense of the year prior, taking myself off the max (contract) to help the team get better, for this city. You know what I mean?” Harden continued. “For myself, obviously, to win a championship. Things didn’t work out. I wanted to get paid. They weren’t talking. So it is what it is. Then you move on. Everybody’s happy. Life is good.”

Harden received a great many boos in his return on Wednesday. He admitted he was confused by that, but also expected it.

“I expected it,” he stated. “I really don’t know what it’s about, but I expected it. So it is what it is. I don’t even know why they were booing. You can ask them. I don’t know why they were booing.”

When asked if he and Morey would ever patch things up, Harden said: “No. Hell no.”

When asked if he has a relationship with Embiid, Harden also said: “No.”

Now both sides can move on. The Sixers face the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Friday.

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James Harden downplays reunion with Sixers, return to Philadelphia

James Harden downplays his reunion with the Philadelphia 76ers and his upcoming return to the Wells Fargo Center.

The Philadelphia 76ers walked away with a 121-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for their only win on the four-game road trip. It was an impressive performance; Philadelphia was terrific defensively and showed tremendous poise.

The contest featured a reunion with James Harden. The Sixers acquired The Beard from the Brooklyn Nets at the 2022 deadline and he played well in a Sixers uniform. In 79 games with Philadelphia, he averaged 21 points, 10.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 37% from deep and 43.1% overall. He wasn’t the ruthless scorer he once was, but he was still prolific.

However, the relationship went south in the 2023 offseason, and he made it known that he wanted out. He called out President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and made it known he wanted to be traded to the Clippers. Morey waited and waited and received an offer from LA that he liked in October.

Harden skipped out on the media after the loss to the Sixers on Sunday. After LA fell to the Indiana Pacers on Monday, he faced the media and downplayed the matchup with the Sixers and his upcoming return to Philadelphia:

On what he expects in his return to Philadelphia: “I don’t know, and I don’t care. We got bigger problems to worry about.”

On what it was like to face his former Sixers team on Sunday: “Listen, we have bigger problems than me worrying about Philadelphia. That’s — we have bigger problems.”

Harden did many good things for the Sixers despite the playoff shortcomings. It will be interesting to see how he is received by the Wells Fargo Center crowd on Wednesday.

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Tobias Harris gives love to James Harden after Sixers beat Clippers

Tobias Harris gives his respect to James Harden after the Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Los Angeles Clippers.

The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday was a contest between a team that needed a win (Sixers) and a team that has been in sync for most of the season (Clippers).

In the end, the Sixers did what they had to do and picked up a much-needed 121-107 win over the Clippers. Philadelphia improved to 1-2 on this four-game West Coast road trip and defeated a familiar face, James Harden.

Harden, who spent 1 1/2 seasons in Philadelphia when he was acquired at the 2022 deadline, requested a trade in the 2023 offseason, and got his wish in October when he was moved to the Clippers.

Harden’s tenure in LA has been successful so far, but he only had 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting, 0-for-6 from deep, and had 14 assists in the loss. He did not speak to the media after the loss.

With that being said, Harden still has the respect of his former Sixers teammates after his time in Philadelphia.

“James is a hell of a player and I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for him playing with him here, and it’s good to see him in LA flourishing and playing his game, and just balling out,” Tobias Harris told reporters. “So it’s all love and respect.”

Harris had 24 points in the win and was terrific for the Sixers all afternoon. Philadelphia really needed it to get on the board on this trip. It had been a tough start on the road and the Sixers needed something to feel good about.

It’s terrific for the Sixers to pick up a win over Harden and a very good Clippers team. The respect is still there, but Philadelphia did its job.

“He’s a Hall of Fame player and, for me, it was an honor being here and playing with him,” Harris added of Harden. “To see him on the other side happy and doing what he’s doing, that’s really what the game is about. It’s great just seeing him and hooping against him.”

The Sixers finish the road trip on Monday against the Sacramento Kings before returning home to host the Clippers on Wednesday.

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Paul Reed gives respect to James Harden ahead of matchup with Clippers

Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed gives love to James Harden ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets at the 2022 trade deadline, sending Ben Simmons out in the deal. Harden did some terrific things as a member of the Sixers, but the relationship went south during the 2023 offseason.

Harden wasn’t happy with how events unfolded in Philadelphia. He called out President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey over the summer, and he was steadfast about wanting to be sent to the Los Angeles Clippers.

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After considerable time going back and forth, Morey obtained a package he wanted for Harden to ensure the Sixers remained competitive. In 79 games for Philadelphia, he averaged 21 points, 10.6 assists and shot 37% from deep.

As the Sixers prepare to face Harden and the Clippers on Sunday, Paul Reed gave a lot of love and respect to his former teammate.

“He dropped hella dimes off to me, I feel like,” Reed told Sixers Wire while smiling. “He made the game a lot easier for all of us in a way. He was a great leader when he was here.”

Harden is an obvious future Hall of Famer and is one of the best to ever play the game. Despite the playoff shortcomings in Philadelphia, The Beard did a number of good things for Reed and the Sixers as a leader and getting everybody involved. He was a good example for the younger players.

“To me, I just learned from him,” Reed added of Harden. “Just his tendencies and off-the-court habits and stuff like that. Just see how he moves and he’s still an extremely successful player so I just tried to learn what he does off the court to stay sane and keep it pushing so I kinda took that from him.”

Harden is leading the Clippers as the situation didn’t work out in Philadelphia, but he had an effect on the Sixers and his former teammates felt it.

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James Harden explains why he bizarrely contested teammate Kawhi Leonard’s 3-point attempt

James Harden contested his own teammate’s shot. Why? He has a reason.

James Harden … what are you doing?!

We’ve seen some weird contesting of shots in the NBA as of late. There was Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla trying to block Royce O’Neale after a whistle, and now we’ve got Harden running out to contest the shot of … his Los Angeles Clippers teammate, Kawhi Leonard.

Seriously! Watch the video below from Wednesday night a few times and tell me you’re not cackling at that.

Why did he do it? He told reporters he was trying to “bring some excitement to this team” and that the Clips were going through a “fog” lately and wanted to give Los Angeles something to laugh about:

Well, I guess it worked? Weird, though.

After close win, Clippers stars impressed by improving Rockets

Kawhi Leonard on the Rockets: “Very good and very confident. Ime [Udoka] is putting them in the right position to succeed, and they are just getting better and better.”

HOUSTON — Los Angeles Clippers forwards Kwahi Leonard and Paul George sat at their lockers inside the visiting locker room of Toyota Center, and discussed some of the events that had transpired in Wednesday’s 122-116 victory over Houston.

Leonard and George knew coming into the game that they would have their hands full with a young, inspired team that featured several strong veterans and a proven head coach, Ime Udoka.

“Very good and very confident,” Leonard told Rockets Wire when asked about Houston’s team. “Ime (Udoka) is putting them in the right position to succeed, and they are just getting better and better.”

Houston led by as many as 20 points in the first half before being outscored in the second half, 78-59. George, Leonard and former Rockets star James Harden used their combined 47 years of NBA experience to wear down their youthful opponents, who are still learning to finish games. That was once Harden’s role before he left the team (through a forced trade) in January 2021.

“They are definitely headed in the right direction,” Harden said regarding the Rockets’ future. “They have a combination of young talent with some vet pieces that have some experience. They have been playing really well. The future is bright.”

That analysis by proven All-Star talents clearly suggests Udoka has his team on the right track. Although they are 3-5 since the All-Star break, Houston has looked increasingly competitive against the Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, who are likely to make the NBA playoffs.

Jalen Green had back-to-back games of 34 points in Phoenix, while teammate Alperen Sengun did his best work at home. On Tuesday, he posted a career-high 45 points and five steals in his matchup with prized rookie Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. He followed that with his second career triple-double: 23 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists against the Clippers.

“I have been the biggest supporter of Alperen (Sengun), so it doesn’t surprise me at all,” George told Rockets Wire when describing Sengun’s strong play. “His game … he is up there with the best of the centers in this league, and he is showing that, night in and night out.”

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio.

Slowly building one of the association’s best cores over the last few years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have burst onto the scene as a title contender despite their young roster this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into an MVP candidate while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios in the league.

The numbers the Thunder have put up — top five in net rating, offensive rating and defensive rating — have been mostly unprecedented due to their youth and inexperience.

Barring the unforeseen, this is likely the beginning of a lengthy competitive window for the Thunder as they return to contention following a short stay in a rebuild.

Ironically enough, the only real comparison with similar circumstances involved the first iteration of the Thunder. A youthful trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden led OKC to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012. All three were 23 years old and younger.

Following that, the Thunder were title contenders for several years and reached four Western Conference finals in six years.

When asked about the comparison between the two trios, Gilgeous-Alexander said their version is trying to achieve similar success the first iteration had in their time with the Thunder.

“There’s three of them and there’s three of us that are obviously a talented group of guys. But I don’t really think our game compares to theirs,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Those guys are obviously three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with this game and have changed the game forever.”

While it’s unlikely Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams each win an MVP in their careers, there’s a real possibility they enjoy collective success in OKC as Durant, Westbrook and Harden did.

“Me, Chet and Dub are three kids just trying to get better. Trying to chase some of the things that they achieved and try to ultimately win an NBA championship,” Gilgeous-Alexander continued. “There’s three guys that are the head of the snake just like how it was before.”

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Tyrese Maxey still talking to, learning from former Sixers star James Harden

Tyrese Maxey is still talking to and learning from former Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden.

The Philadelphia 76ers moved James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers back in October as they gave him what he wanted. The Beard was unhappy in Philadelphia and the Sixers remained patient until a trade materialized for him.

Harden did a lot of good things for the Sixers on the floor. He led the league in assists in the 2022-23 season and he did a lot of helpful things for Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid to help them move forward in their careers.

As Maxey is enjoying a probable All-Star season, he is keeping in touch with Harden as Philadelphia continues to progress. Maxey told The Athletic:

“He taught me a lot,” Maxey said. “I appreciate him for it. I still talk to him to this day, he still critiques the stuff that I do. All I can do is say thank you to him and I appreciate him.”

Maxey is averaging 25.7 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 44.8% from the floor and 37.3% from deep. He has taken a big leap forward and is likely headed toward his first All-Star game. Even without Harden there to guide him, the young man out of Kentucky is continuing to take steps forward.

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