Despite Return to 76ers, James Harden Stays Home vs. Bucks

For a week, James Harden spent time away from the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite showing up on the second day of training camp out in Colorado, traveling with the team for its preseason opener against the Boston Celtics, and returning to practice at the team’s facility in Camden, New Jersey, Harden went in a different direction when his teammates flocked to Brooklyn for a matchup.

According to reports, Harden was in Houston, the home of one of his former franchises. The Sixers noted that Harden’s absence from the team was due to “personal reasons” that have yet to be revealed by Harden or anybody within the organization.

The absence didn’t turn out to be long-term. After the Sixers concluded their preseason, Harden made his way back to Camden on Wednesday morning. The Sixers were set to practice for the final time before traveling to the Midwest for their season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Harden’s status for Thursday’s opener was already in question prior to his return. When he wasn’t with the team, it was widely assumed Harden wouldn’t be on board with the 76ers when they tip off the year. His return to practice offered an ounce of hope that the Sixers could potentially have last season’s assist leader back in the fold, but the Sixers don’t want to rush to that scenario just yet.

When Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse addressed reporters on Wednesday after practice, he confirmed that Harden would have to ramp up his conditioning before returning to action. After all, the ten-time All-Star missed the entire preseason, which was an opportunity to get him back into game shape and acclimated with the new system in real-time.

Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Harden was not expected to take the trip, as the Sixers wanted him to stick around the practice facility, ramping up and getting into the best shape possible before taking on game action.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, Harden showed up for the Sixers’ team flight, ready to leave for Milwaukee despite the team’s initial plans. It was once again reiterated that the Sixers wanted Harden to stick around in Camden.

The Sixers listed Harden as “not with the team” officially on Wednesday night. His reason for absence is described as “return to competition reconditioning.”

With Harden guaranteed to miss the Sixers’ opener against the Bucks, his next opportunity to make his debut in Nick Nurse’s system would come on Saturday, when Philadelphia pays a visit to the Toronto Raptors. While it’s not out of the question to have Harden join the team on a small road trip, the chances of Harden traveling to Toronto are unlikely.

The 76ers return to Philadelphia for a matchup on Sunday, October 29, when they host the Portland Trail Blazers in their home opener. There isn’t a timeline in place for Harden’s return, so Sunday shouldn’t be ruled out. However, the Sixers are adamant about taking their time with easing the guard back into action. A scenario where Harden doesn’t see the court at all during the team’s opening week is surely in play.