Hoops Trainer Offers Positive Message About James Harden's Struggles

The Philadelphia 76ers needed to figure out a way to get another All-Star to play alongside Joel Embiid when Ben Simmons refused to this year. Fortunately for Philadelphia, they landed James Harden at the trade deadline back in February.

While Harden hasn't quite been of MVP caliber since he's won the award back in 2018, the Sixers were still excited to see the elite scorer and playmaker in action when he finally took the court in late February.

At times, Harden has looked stellar playing for the Sixers. However, his short stint in Philly has been underwhelming to many. When the regular season wrapped up, Harden finished the year averaging 22 points per game between the 44 games he played in Brooklyn and the 21 games he played in Philadelphia.

For others, 22 points per game is a solid average. For Harden, it's slightly underwhelming and concerning, considering he averaged over 30 points per game for the third-straight year just a couple of seasons ago.

Injuries have affected Harden over the last two years. During last year's playoffs with the Nets, Harden suffered a hamstring injury, which ended his postseason run early. As a result, Harden spent his offseason rehabbing, which was a change of pace for the ten-time All-Star.

Considering he had an unusual offseason last summer, Harden's personal trainer Paul Fabritz believes that affected Harden's progress during the 2021-2022 season. As Sixers fans grow concerned with Harden's playoff performances this year, Fabritz made it known he believes a typical offseason for Harden could get the All-Star back on the right track for the 2022-2023 season.

"I still work with JH when he's in LA but that's only 1-2 weeks out of the year. He will be straight, he was rehabbing all summer and didn't get to hoop or train the same way he normally would. A full offseason of training and hooping will be good for him. But imagine averaging 22, 10, and 8 on an "off-year."  

Harden isn't locked in with the Sixers for next year just yet, but the veteran guard mentioned he intends to pick up his player option in the offseason during his introductory press conference with the 76ers.

A full offseason of getting back to his standard training regimen could be great for both Harden and the Sixers next year. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.