Joel Embiid Happy to See James Harden’s Hard Work Pay Off

Many around the NBA believed that James Harden’s best days were indeed behind him. After the star guard’s numbers took a dip following his time with the Houston Rockets, it seemed Harden’s regression was rapidly approaching.

After averaging 29 points per game or more in five-straight seasons, Harden’s numbers went down to 24 points per game during his first season with the Brooklyn Nets. During his second stint with the Nets, Harden again regressed in the scoring column as he averaged 22 points before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

On the Sixers, Harden had just 21 games to play, and his scoring slightly went down to 21 points per game. At that point, many questioned whether the ten-time All-Star was worth a max contract or not, considering the statistical decline.

But Harden felt he was nowhere near a full-on decline. As he was battling a hamstring injury and surrounded by unwanted drama, Harden felt a fresh offseason spent with the 76ers would help him get back on track.

So far, four games into the 2022-2023 NBA season, Harden is proving anybody that doubted him recently wrong, as he’s been the best player on the floor for the 76ers to start the year.

Against the Boston Celtics in the season opener, Harden drained 64 percent of his shots, collecting 35 points in 37 minutes. He neared a triple-double as he collected eight rebounds and seven assists.

When the Sixers faced the Milwaukee Bucks two nights later, Harden knocked down 54 percent of his shots and totaled 31 points. Once again, a triple-double was in sight as he came down with eight rebounds and produced nine assists.

The Saturday night matchup versus the San Antonio Spurs was a slight dip in production for harden as he struggled from the field and collected 12 points in 40 minutes, but the star guard shared the ball generously as he accounted for 12 assists while turning the ball over just twice.

Then on Monday night, Harden was back to leading the Sixers in scoring for the third time this year, as he put up 29 points in 34 minutes, along with nine rebounds and 11 assists.

“He’s been doing great,” said Harden’s teammate, Joel Embiid. “I’m happy for him. We’re going to need it. We’re going to need him to be confident and really feel himself, and he’s been doing it. So now we just got to get everybody playing at the same level so we can win games. It’s been great to see. He’s been playing at a high level, and I know he’s been working so hard to be at this point. So I’m happy for him.”

There is a long season ahead, but so far, Harden’s played his best basketball as a member of the Sixers through the first four games of the year. While he’s tweaked his game a bit and is shooting much more from mid-range these days, Harden’s been quite efficient from the field and is coming alive in times when the Sixers need him to the most.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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