Getty James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center on October 05, 2022.
There is a great deal of pressure on James Harden heading into this season. The Philadelphia 76ers’ guard is expected to serve as the co-star Joel Embiid has been missing and elevate the team to the title threats they desire to be. Harden had a turbulent season last year which involved lingering hamstring injuries and a midseason trade. He was forced to learn a whole new system and play style and was not quite the player that many hoped. With a full offseason to get healthy and more familiar with his new teammates, there is plenty of reason for optimism for the 10-time All-Star. The Bleacher Report NBA Staff seem to be buying into the hype as they recently released their top 10 guards heading into the 2022-23 season and Harden found himself ranked 7th in the NBA guard rankings.
Bleacher Report’s Top 10 Guards in the NBA:
1. Luka Doncic
2. Stephen Curry
3. Ja Morant
4. Trae Young
5. Devin Booker
6. Damian Lillard
7. James Harden
8. Donovan Mitchell
9. Kyrie Irving
10. Bradley Beal
When giving further details into the insight of why Harden earned his spot, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report put it, “Much was made of James Harden seemingly losing a half step over the course of 2021-22, but even this version is one of the game’s very best creators and distributors. When paired with Joel Embiid, he’s the piloting half of one of the game’s most devastating pick-and-roll combinations. Even if he’s not the peak Houston Rockets version of himself, Harden’s ability to manipulate the pace and organization of any possession makes him extremely valuable.”
Harden’s Ranking on the List
Bailey makes an excellent point about Harden’s shortcomings being overstated. The 33-year-old averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in his 21 regular season games with the Sixers. While his postseason numbers did dip- 18.6 points, 8.6 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game- the former MVP still made a positive on-court impact on the Sixers.
The playmaking ability that he adds to the Sixers is especially worth noting. Harden’s advanced basketball IQ and passing ability create a variety of open looks for his teammates and make everyone’s lives easier. While the questions about his age and body may hold some validity, his understanding of team basketball and his ability to make live-game reads are clear. There also have been plenty of encouraging signs this offseason of the effort he has made to rehab his hamstring and improve his overall fitness.
James Harden. Dancin’.
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Looking at the other players on the list, Damian Lillard was the only player ranked ahead of Harden to not make an All-NBA team. Lillard played a career-low 29 games last season due to undergoing abdominal surgery.
Sixers’ Ceiling Reliant on Harden?
It is an overstatement to say the Sixers’ ceiling as a team is completely reliant on what version of Harden takes the court, but there certainly is some correlation. This will especially come into play in the postseason.
While Embiid is undoubtedly the centerpiece of this team, it has become increasingly difficult to build around big men in the modern NBA. The last teams who could hang their hats on winning an NBA championship with the big man as their best player would either be Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 or Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Each of these teams and players had unique qualities and it took the proper pieces surrounding them to make this victory possible. While Nowitzki certainly carried the primarily offensive load, his ability to shoot from the perimeter made this much easier.
To Embiid’s credit, he has taken some massive strides in developing his perimeter game. While some were critical of Embiid’s focus on shooting three-pointers in his early years, it has become a necessity based on how basketball has changed. He also has improved his ball-handling and shot creation in a major way.
These strides forward from Embiid are important, but he will need help from the guard positions. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey has taken some pressure off of Harden and the power balance between this duo will be interesting to watch as the season progressed. The three-time scoring champion has certainly become more of a pass-first player at this stage of his career, but may not be a bad thing based on what the Sixers need. The increased optimism surrounding Harden is great to see, but as long as Maxey and Harden can combine for the production the team needs no one will be splitting hairs over who fills the stat sheet.