Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden may not be the explosive offensive player he once was, but he still has a huge impact on the game and he is feared every time he steps on the floor.
In 21 games with the Sixers after the trade in February, Harden averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. He was a shell of his former self, he was dealing with hamstring issues, and he still almost averaged a triple-double. He is that good of a player and why he is on his way to the Hall of Fame.
Despite losing a step, The Beard still has it and he can still be a big piece of a successful team. HoopsHype ranked the top 25 point guards in the league at the moment and Harden came in ranked 7th on the list:
Know how many players put up a 22/7/10 stat line in 2021-22?
That’s right, just one: Harden.
So tales of Harden’s demise may have been greatly exaggerated, and with an offseason to heal from nagging injuries and preseason to mesh with his new team, we expect more big things from the former league MVP in 2022-23.
Now that Harden has had a full summer to rest his hamstring and be able to prepare for the 2022-23 season, the expectation is that he can lead Philadelphia to a title. He will team up with Joel Embiid in guiding the Sixers to what they hope will be a deep playoff run and their first title since 1983.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!