Despite beating the talented Raptors in 6 games, the Philadelphia 76ers are entering Round 2 with a whole lot of unanswered questions.
Since mid-February, most of those questions have revolved around James Harden, whose arrival to the team can only be described as rocky.
But as Philly continues to fight for their playoff lives, James Harden isn’t panicking. Instead, he’s focused on adjusting his game to new surroundings and remains hopeful for a breakthrough.
“All this is new,” said Harden. “We are trying to figure it out on the fly. Things aren’t going to be great all the time.”
“But I think the more we can communicate and I think all of us are on the same page and want the same thing, that’s to win. We listen with open ears and try to go out there and try to play our butts off.”
With low numbers across the board (at least, by his standards), there are doubts that Harden is a good fit for the 76ers. There are also doubts that he can ever return to being the MVP candidate he was in Houston.
“I think Brooklyn won that trade,” said Tracy McGrady. “I think Joel was in such a grove, and that team was in such a grove. Yea, James Harden is a dynamic scorer and a playmaker, no doubt about that, but it seems like to me he is slowing down. He can’t really get by his defender no more. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know if he’s hurting, but he doesn’t look the same to me.”
Many fans and analysts have chimed in with their thoughts on Harden. To many, his best days are already behind him.
But, perhaps, with some more time and a little bit of patience, he can find his groove and become the partner Joel Embiid has needed all these years.
For now, he just has to take it one game at a time.
