As far as crunching numbers go, how’s this for one: James Harden had the most dribbles than the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers squad put together. This was one of the highlights when the side played and lost to the Boston Celtics in their 2022-23 season opener.
Harden has been in the news for various reasons. If it was for shedding the pounds ahead of the new year, then it was for his scintillating play in the two games the outfit has played so far. ‘The Beard’ had a solid game against the Milwaukee Bucks, pouring in 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Now, the topic of discussion on social media is reportedly the dribbles he’s had. Sports host/producer Rob Perez took to Twitter to outline the unique stat.
current topic being discussed on Inside the NBA pic.twitter.com/Yv1xRbdUQx
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 20, 2022
Harden had 525 dribbles, well ahead of what the rest of the team (411) had when they faced the Celtics. His moves have been well-documented and are the topic of some of basketball’s “how-to” tutorials. Now, add this to that list.
James Harden Talks About His Midrange Shots: “They Gave Me Midrange Shots And I Took Them.”
Harden added midrange shots as part of his repertoire this time, and in addition to shooting them, he’s also creating the opportunities for those dribbles and step-backs that helps with finding those quick deuces.
According to an ESPN report, the 33-year-old set a career-high in midrange shots made against the Milwaukee Bucks. Speaking postgame to reporters, he shed light on the move:
“I’ve been working on my game this summer, so I just took what the defense gave me. I had a couple of threes that I missed but you can’t control that. You put the work in and you live with the results. So, tonight, they gave me midrange shots and I took them.”
Despite Harden’s good outings, the team was unable to close out their openers but will hope they can make amends when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday (October 22).