Getty Head coach Doc Rivers and James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers speak during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center on December 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
If you were to line up NBA fans, executives, and media members before the season and ask who they expect to lead the league in minutes before the season started, very few would have picked James Harden. However, as the midpoint of the season approaches, this is where things stand. The Philadelphia 76ers guard is averaging 37.6 minutes per game so far this season making him one of three players to be tallying 37+ minutes. Harden is just ahead of Jayson Tatum (24 years old) and Fred VanVleet (28 years old) who each are playing 37.2 minutes per game.
This has not been a concern for Doc Rivers who indicated he expects the minutes average to naturally come down. As he put it before the recent victory over the Pistons, “No, not worried at all. It’s early in the year. I’ll guarantee you, by the end of the year, you’ll look at his numbers and they’ll look great. It’s a whole year. That’s why we can’t overdo things when guys have a three-week spike in minutes and all of a sudden we’re overreacting to that. You don’t. We’ve been low on guards, and so guys have to play minutes. And James is one of those guys that can handle minutes. But by the end of the year, his minutes will be down.”
Joel Embiid & James Harden PNR/2 Man Game I Sixers vs Raptors Game 1
Much less compared to what we’ve seen, but Doc Rivers putting Joel Embiid on the perimeter was really effective at not allowing TOR’s defense to set, major props to Doc for making this adjustment
Rivers Ignores Minutes Limit
The 32:34 minutes of game-time Harden logged in the 113-93 victory over the Pistons was the lowest workload he has played on the season. This is especially concerning considering Rivers indicated to reporters he would be on a minutes limit after returning from his month-long absence with the right foot tendon sprain.
While the head coach did not put a concrete number on the limit, he assured there was a plan in place for his load management. Harden made his return in Houston against his former team where he played 38:24 of game time. It should be noted the game did go to double overtime, but this was followed up by Harden logging 47:21 of game-time in the overtime victory over the Lakers in the next matchup. As the head coach indicated, injuries have played a role in him being necessary on the court, but overplaying the three-time scoring champion could have disastrous results.
James Harden – Ethical Hoops Only
The 37.6 minutes per game he is averaging on the season is the fourth-highest minutes total he has logged in his 13 seasons in the NBA. Three of these seasons occurred during his younger years with the Rockets with the other last season with the Sixers (37.7 minutes per game.)
Harden’s Injury Concerns
Harden’s impact has been felt by the Sixers so far this season. He is averaging 21.4 points, 10.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on the year. He especially shined to start the season when Joel Embiid got off to the start and has done an impressive job balancing his effort as a scorer and playmaker when sharing the court with the big man.
Your nightly dose of “what th…how did James Harden just do that???”
The concern is not with his production, but rather with ensuring it is sustainable. Harden has struggled with hamstring issues over the past few seasons and this was credited as the reason he was unable to bring necessary production in the postseason last year. The renewed focus on his health and hamstring rehab this summer allowed him to bring back some burst to his game- although he will never be the elite matchup-proof player he once was.
The focus must be on ensuring that Harden is at his peak when the postseason arrives. The former MVP and the rest of the Sixers have been clear about how this is their biggest motivation for the year. Harden is one of the biggest X-factors on the team regarding their chances of having postseason success. Getting back Tyrese Maxey from injury will help to make cutting down his minutes easier, but prioritizing Harden’s postseason outlook must remain the biggest focus moving forward.