In Philadelphia, the 76ers are gearing up for a promising season. With the Ben Simmons saga finally behind them, they were able to get a full and distraction-free offseason under their belt and it could lead to some strong results.
But if the Sixers want any hope of unlocking their true potential, they are going to need more from James Harden, who has not really been himself since joining the Sixers.
If he can return to his MVP form from a few years ago, the 76ers will be a tough team to stop in the East. But, after all this time, is Harden even still capable of that level of play?
James Harden Needs To Find The Balance Between Scoring And Playmaking This Season
While Harden’s capabilities this season remain to be seen, head coach Doc Rivers has big expectations of the guy and compared his role to something of a ‘scoring Magic Johnson.’
Here’s what he said in a recent chat with the media:
(via ESPN):
“I think we’ve talked so much about him being a facilitator … but I need him to be James Harden too,” Rivers said. “If I had to combine, I would say a scoring Magic Johnson, I don’t know … but that’s what I want him to be. I want him to be a James Harden, but in that, I want him to also be the facilitator of this basketball team, too. So in a lot of ways, his role is growing bigger for our team, and I just want him to keep thinking, ‘Do both.’”
Harden was once one of the best players in basketball. Not long ago, he was carrying the Houston Rockets to long playoff runs. Still, after so many years at the top, and a series of locker room issues in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, there are questions that he is still the same guy he used to be.
Now, Harden is one of the few people in the league with no doubts about his game.
“The last 2 summers in the pandemic and last summer was all recovery, it was all rehab and all,” said Harden. “Now, I get a full summer to actually play pick-up. Working out individually and playing pick-up are two totally different things, it’s a different kind of conditioning and I hadn’t had that. For me, I had an entire summer not worrying about pick-up and having fun with the basketball game. I am in a really good space honestly. Tomorrow, we hit the ground running and we got 3 more weeks to get into even better shape. I am dedicating myself to get in the best shape I can because I am getting older. I’ve always said that if my conditioning can be level with my skill set, my IQ, and the work I put in, it’s MVP.”
Doc Rivers and the 76ers want James Harden to be more aggressive on offense, that much is clear. They want James to be a scorer, the same way he was in Houston.
But they also want him to be a distributor and set up his teammates for easy looks, also the same stuff he used to do for the Rockets.
While comparing anyone to Magic Johnson is a stretch, James will have to channel his inner Magic if he wants to make amends for his struggles over the past few years.
