Over the last few weeks, the narrative of James Harden being a bad teammate during his stint with the Brooklyn Nets has made a lot of headlines. After all, it was revealed that Harden and Kevin Durant were going through a cold war.
Moreover, James wasn’t happy with how the plays were being designed with keeping KD as the primary player for the Nets. These and many more such issues piled up, and it led to The Beard being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
While many have trusted that Harden was being a bad teammate during his stay with the Nets, the narrative is completely different for his 76ers teammate. In fact, Sixers insider Keith Pompey shed more light on the same in his recent article. Pompey revealed:
Via The Philadelphia Inquirer:
“The rhetoric coming out of Brooklyn would lead you to believe James Harden was a bad teammate at the end of his tenure. But the rhetoric coming from the 76ers is the complete opposite. They’ll tell you that Harden has been a welcome addition and positive influence on his teammates.
“Early on, he’s been a leader despite being sidelined while rehabilitating a left hamstring strain. At his suggestion, Harden accompanied the Sixers here to Wisconsin for Thursday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, the final matchup before the All-Star break. The point guard’s debut could be on Feb. 25 at the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sixers’ first game after the break.”
Pompey further added, “The Sixers are a close-knit group and Harden is fitting in nicely. As part of team bonding, he initiated a card game during Wednesday’s flight. The future Hall of Famer also has been sharing his expertise with teammates. He attempted to teach Joel Embiid his signature step-back three-pointer following Tuesday’s shootaround. Embiid unsuccessfully attempted it during that night’s loss to the Boston Celtics. Harden also was seen encouraging and giving pointers to teammates throughout the game.”
Considering this report by Pompey, it feels like Harden has finally found a place where he can play according to his liking.
On the other hand, until Harden actually starts playing for the Sixers, fans won’t get an idea of how well he fits in with the new group. Regardless of Harden recovering from an injury, he will most likely make his debut for the 76ers this month.
