After more than a month of truce, James Harden returned to the game in early December, but his performance was not satisfactory at the beginning. He only made 4 of 19 shots, barely scored 21 points, 7 assists, 7 turnovers, the Sixers still lost to the rebuilding Houston Rockets 132-123 in double playoffs.
For Harden, who returned from injury, it is inevitable that his skills are still a bit rusty. Other outside players of the Sixers such as Tyrese Maxey and Georges Niang have not yet returned in this game. What a fuss.
However, the so-called small knowledge, from the defeat of the above-mentioned games, we can still find some more worrying trends regarding Harden. Will he be able to cooperate with Maxey and Joel Embiid in the long run, and if he is not? What will be the supporting plan for the Sixers?
Harden started this season with impressive results, averaging 26.8 points, 9.8 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 3 outside shots per game in the first 4 games, shooting 48.6% from the field, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. In the game, he only averaged 18.2 points, 10.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 three-pointers per game. The overall shooting percentage was 39.1%, and the outside line was only 28.6%.
Harden is relying on the mid-range to an unprecedented degree this season—a good thing for a triple-point threat like him; Playing is still a bit too self-centered.
Harden ranks third in the league in touches per game (95.9), trailing only Tyrese Haliburton (96.1) and Nikola Jokic (96.5); Every touch has 5 dribbles, or even 6 seconds of holding time.
Harden leads the team in assists per game (9.7), which may justify his high usage rate, but he’s also the team’s best passer, as Sixers head coach Doc Rivers affirmed : “To be honest, (when Harden is absent) our team’s passing and ball-handling ability is limited.” Rivers once said to the media: “We may be the only team in the NBA that does not have a pure point guard. The closest one – in terms of vision and passing.”
Still, Harden occasionally reverts to Houston’s “no-limits” routine, often with disastrous results, like in the final few regular-season possessions of the above-mentioned Rockets game:
When Harden is on the court, the Sixers can score an average of 114.8 points per 100 offensive possessions (ranking league PR 69). ). However, their offensive conversion opportunities are relatively reduced. For the Sixers with beards, as many as 83.1% of their offensive rounds are half-court system games, which is the highest in the league’s PR 6 level.
Harden’s slower style of play may be more effective in the playoffs, but the 76ers still need him to play a little more off the ball: this season, he only took 8% of his shots following receiving the ball; The percentage of pull-ups is as high as 60.5%! In terms of hit rate, the former has an accuracy of 37.8% of shots, while the latter has a relatively inefficient 33.9%.
Harden certainly can’t be a top off-ball shooter like Stephen Curry, but if he tries to play off the ball at all, defenders will have no qualms regarding tucking in when he doesn’t have the ball, thus blocking Embiid’s space around the rim , just like the centers Harden has played with in the past.
But for the Sixers, if they decide to get rid of Harden, it is actually not easy. Because following the Sixers win Harden’s bird rights, Harden will be able to reject his 35.6 million player option contract and become a free agent in 2023. It counts only with his consent.
Even if the 76ers want to admit the loss, Harden also agrees to take the talent elsewhere. At present, it seems that it is difficult for the teams in the league to have corresponding remuneration. A half-season lease for a 33-year-old on the decline offers plenty of assets.
