NBA Champion Puts Sixers’ James Harden on Blast ‘Just Wants That Lifestyle’

James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers

Getty James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers

Nothing has gone according to plan for James Harden since moving to the Philadelphia 76ers, and now, questions are swirling about his long-term future with the franchise.

Harden is no longer the swashbuckling scorer we saw dominate the hardwood for the Houston Rockets, no matter how badly the Sixers need him to be. Instead, the 32-year-old guard has evolved into one of the better playmakers the NBA has to offer – averaging 10.5 assists over the last two seasonsranking him second in the NBA, and trailing only Chris Paul.

However, the Sixers didn’t need playmaking Harden – they needed the all-conquering superstar scorer version, despite the signs that the Arizona State product was no longer that version of himself.

Philadelphia’s need for superstar Harden was magnified once Joel Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and wasn’t at 100% for the second round of the post-season. Of course, despite flashes, that isn’t what the Sixers got from Harden, and now their season is over, and they’re beginning to explore ways to improve their team heading into next year.

Still, there is a large contingent of fans and analysts that believe Harden has become too passive and that he is no longer driven by the notion of a championship or post-season success.

“You have certain players in the NBA that actually want to win, and want to go out there and get a championship. And then you have certain players that in the regular season do all that they can, get all the top money, top dollars, and they just care about the lifestyle. And at the end of the day, I feel like he and Joel Embiid are not on the same mission,” Kendrick Perkins said during a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take.


Harden Expects to Run it Back in Philadelphia

Shortly after the Sixers were eliminated from the 2022 NBA playoffs by the Miami Heat, Harden told reporters that he expects to be with the team again next season. According to Harden’s recent press conference, he will be remaining with the team and opting into his $47 million player option for next season.

“Since I’ve been here, it’s been great. But we tried to build something so fast, we tried to build a championship contender so fast, which I still think we are; we’re just missing a few pieces. But other than that, we tried to go for it right away, and we just came up a little bit short.

We’re trying to win a championship; that’s the goal. So whatever that looks like to continue to build, us individually to continue to get better, to us as a unit getting to know each other, find out what works, what doesn’t work, things like that…I’ll be here,” Harden told reporters shortly after the Sixers 


Doc Rivers to Continue as Sixers Head Coach

Shortly after the Sixers fell to the Heat, Doc Rivers’ name was churning through the rumor mill, with most NBA fans believing his time with the Sixers had run its course. However, Daryl Morey recently put those rumors to bed, as he reiterated his desire to continue building towards a championship with the veteran head coach leading the charge.

It’s clear the Sixers are valuing continuity heading into the summer, and will be looking to make minor tweaks to their roster to give the team added depth, and likely some additional shooters. Of course, if they fall short again next season, questions about Harden and Rivers’ future with the franchise will ramp back up, and it might be time for the team to go in a different direction.

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