The Philadelphia 76ers have endured a pretty rough stretch lately. After losing in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Ben Simmons cut ties with the team and began a brutal cold war that distracted the organization for months.
Eventually, Simmons was dealt in a blockbuster move for James Harden, and that’s how it has been every month since. And even as Harden’s future gets doubted by fans and experts, Rivers hasn’t lost faith in his star and still holds optimism about the future.
(via TMZ):
Doc Rivers says James Harden will sign a “huge deal” with the 76ers … telling TMZ Sports he enjoys coaching the star guard and loves having him on the team.
We caught up with the Philadelphia head coach as he was leaving E Baldi in Bev Hills this week … and he told us he’s sure Harden, who the 76ers acquired this past season, has a massive new contract coming his way.
“Huge deal,” Rivers said.
Doc added that he’s “excited” about coaching JH, explaining, “I love him.”
The 76ers haven’t had much success with Harden and Embiid running the show. Together, they lost in the second round against the Miami Heat.
Of course, Philly still needs to add some more talent if they want to make a deep run. Danny Green, Tobias Harris, and DeAndre Jordan are not going to get the job done.
More importantly, though, the Sixers will need more from Harden, who struggled all year to find his superstar form. If he can’t snap out of this funk and become the play, he was in Houston and Brooklyn, it will continue to hold the 76ers back.
The hope is that, with some more time and work, the Beard can re-discover his spark and finally put Philadelphia on the NBA map.
