James Harden Arrival Spurs Key Development for 25-Year-Old Sixer

Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images Matisse Thybulle

The Philadelphia 76ers are still getting accustomed to the recent addition of superstar James Harden. For the most part, the team has played well with Harden in the lineup, the Sixers have posted a record of 8-3 when he plays.

The addition of Harden has paid immediate dividends for his Sixers teammates on offense. Joel Embiid has further cemented himself as the NBA MVP favorite, according to VegasInsider.com he is currently -160 to win the award.

Besides Embiid, Sixers’ second-year guard Tyrese Maxey has also exploded since the addition of Harden. Over his last ten games, Maxey is averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 46.2% from three.

The addition of Harden has also been huge to the offensive development of third-year guard Matisse Thybulle.

Thybulle’s Offensive Improvement

Even before Harden joined the team, Thybulle had already shown offensive improvement this season. His 5.9 points per game and 49.2% field goal percentage are both career-highs.

Since Harden joined the team, Thybulle has really started to show improvement with his three-point shooting. Over his last ten games, Thybulle has shot a blistering 45% from three-point range while slightly upping his scoring to 6.2 points per game.

Since coming out of college Thybulle has always been regarded as athletic and a really good defender. One of the knocks on him was the shooting struggles that he had.

It’s certainly an encouraging sign for the Sixers that Thybulle has continued to make strides on the offensive end of the floor. Thybulle is a good cutter that will get plenty of easy opportunities with Harden on the floor drawing attention.

His development as a shooter could pay huge dividends for the Sixers. If defenses have to account for Thybulle as a shooter then it can open up the floor even more for Harden, Embiid, and the rest of the Sixers.

Sixers Down the Stretch

The Sixers are currently 43-27 and are sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference. The team is just a half-game behind the Bucks for second place, but are also tied with the Boston Celtics.

With 11 games left in the regular season, the Sixers have the 12th easiest remaining schedule according to tankathon.com. The teams the Sixers will play only have a win percentage of 49%. That doesn’t mean the schedule won’t have its challenges.

The Sixers will still play seven playoff teams over the final 11 game stretch including matchups with the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors. During this stretch of games, the team will still need to improve some things before the postseason.

The Sixers still need to be better on the defensive end and recently employed a new wrinkle as they used more zone defense in their recent win over the Dallas Mavericks. If the Sixers continue to improve their defense it will greatly improve their chances at a deep playoff run.

While some players have flourished since the addition of Harden, that isn’t the case for everyone. Tobias Harris has been struggling lately as his scoring has dropped to 14.3 points per game during the last ten games. If the Sixers can find a way to get Harris going it will improve their chances in the postseason.