While the Philadelphia 76ers being among the top teams in the Eastern Conference record-wise at 43-22 is nothing new, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice detailed why things are different this year, specifically citing James Harden‘s impact on the floor.
“Another big difference between this year and seasons past is having Harden there to captain the ship when Embiid rests, and he has been brilliant in so many of those bench-heavy groups to open fourth quarters this year.”
Neubeck then detailed that lineups with Harden and no Joel Embiid that help the team make a big difference.
“Philadelphia is winning Embiid-less minutes with Harden on the floor by 2.3 points per 100 possessions, and narrow victories with the big man on the bench would have been enough to change the Sixers’ fortunes in years past.”
Neubeck concluded by saying that the Sixers have the ingredients to win a championship, including Harden’s play this season making the difference.
“They have all the makings of a genuine threat to win it all — an MVP-caliber player, top-10 units on both sides of the ball, improved depth, and the right mix of youth and veteran experience. They have wins over seemingly every big title threat aside from the Celtics.
“And with Harden playing at this level, they have a No. 2 option who can live up to that label in every meaningful way. That may prove to be the difference.”
Harden Wants More Respect
After the Sixers beat the Indiana Pacers on March 6, Harden asked what else he has to do gain respect as a player.
“I don’t know what they want from me,” Harden said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know what I mean? I’ve been doing this thing for a very long time. I’ve been one of the most consistent players in this league since I’ve been in.
“The only thing that I can do is control what I can control, keep going out there and impacting the game every single night that I step on the floor. And I’ll live with the results.”
This season, Harden is averaging 21.9 points, 10.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.9% from the field and 40.1% from three. However, Harden did not make the all-star game for the first time since 2012, and it remains up in the air if he’ll make an All-NBA team this season.
Harden Potential Reunion With Rockets Continues to Get Buzz
Bill Simmons of The Ringer continued to fuel the rumors that Harden might return to the Houston Rockets this summer on his podcast on March 6.
“In the whispers circles, everybody seems to think he’s going back to Houston,” Simmons said. “I think the Houston part is just bizarre, really, since Christmas. (Adrian Wojnarowski) dropped that thing on Christmas, and it’s like, ‘Where’s this coming from? I’m about to watch five Christmas games.’ And now it seems like a foregone conclusion.”
Simmons then compared Harden’s upcoming free agency to LeBron James in the year leading up to when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
“If you talk to anyone around the league, they’re like, ‘Yeah, Harden is going to Houston.’ It reminds me a lot of that LeBron-Lakers year,” Simmons added. “A year before LeBron went to the Lakers and everybody was like, ‘Yeah, LeBron’s going to the Lakers.’ I don’t know what to make of it.”
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Sixers Hopes Could Hinge on James Harden ‘Difference’