NFL
James Harden moved to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade that was in some ways forced
upon him due to poor form and fitness issues, and it seems these continue to plague the
former Brooklyn Nets star.
The ten-time NBA All-Star pick has thus far sat out seven of the 18 games he should have
taken part in as part of the 76ers roster, and having suffered from consistent hamstring
issues; he has now been forced out of a recent game, against the Los Angeles Lakers, with
an injury to his right knee.
Harden is undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his generation, but it can not be
ignored that we are talking about a player who is into his 14th season in the NBA but is still
without an NBA Championship ring. Any sports betting predictor would have suggested that
2021-22 would have offered the former Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets man
his best possibility of breaking that run.
He started the season with a Nets side that was considered the runaway favorites to win the
title but his patchy form, along with that of his team-mates, meant that Steve Nash’s side
haven’t been as effective as they should have been, and now he finds himself in a 76ers
side, hoping for a shot at redemption.
Fortunately, he finds himself part of a 76ers side that is buzzing right now and sits top of the
Eastern Conference and Harden returned from his knee concerns to finish as top point
scorer in their dominant 122-97 win over the L.A Clippers.
On his ongoing progress, a victorious Harden stated post-game;
“I think it’s heading in the right direction,”
“I just got to keep chipping away,” Harden added.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is also confident that the veteran talent can continue to
make an impact as he eases himself into the form that made him one of the best in the
league, stating;
“He’s still a work in progress,”
“We got three weeks. We really feel by that time that he’ll be there 100%.”
And on the consistent injury issues that Harden has to battle at this stage of his career,
Rivers added;
“He’s still not there,”
“But his miles per hour have increased. He’s … almost to the level of Houston as far as his
miles per hour. He’s reached his top speed he hasn’t reached in two years.
If Harden does stay fit, he will hope to answer critics that insist that as soon as the playoff
picture hones into view, the 32-year-old can be found wanting.
Indeed statistics back up this criticism, with the numbers showing that Harden’s points per
game averages dipping lower than his regular-season stats in each of the last five occasions
he’s taken part in playoff action.
The 76ers currently have a 46-27 record and could choose to rest Harden for much of the
remaining nine games if Rivers wanted to keep him fresh for the playoffs.
