Joel Embiid's Take on How James Harden's Looked Since Returning

After Wednesday's win over the Pistons, 76ers center Joel Embiid dished his thoughts on how James Harden's looked as of late.

James Harden got off to a solid start to the 2022-2023 NBA season. Healthy and refreshed, entering his first full season with the Sixers, Harden was a bright spot for the Sixers during their first nine games of the year. 

During that stretch, the ten-time All-Star averaged 37 minutes on the floor, scoring 22 points per game while averaging ten assists. Unfortunately, during his ninth matchup of the year, Harden went down with a foot injury, which was diagnosed as a tendon strain.

As a result, Harden went on to miss 14 straight games. The All-Star returned to the floor during the Sixers’ December 5 matchup against the Houston Rockets. While Harden was understandably rusty during his return, the veteran has been a significant help for the Sixers as he got back into ideal game shape.

Since the Sixers tipped off their seven-game home stretch, Harden has averaged 21 points and 11 assists while knocking down 39 percent of his threes on seven attempts per game. During the stretch, the Sixers have gone 6-0.

Although Harden’s minutes have been high despite coming off of a month-long recovery from injury, Sixers center Joel Embiid has been pleased with how Harden’s looked since he’s been back on the floor. 

“He looks good,” said Embiid regarding Harden on Wednesday. “I mean, his burst, him going by guys, him making plays, pushing the ball, and defensively he’s been good. So, it’s all about staying healthy, and he’s got to keep that going.”

While Harden’s minutes are currently high, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made it clear that the team is far from worried about it as they will normalize over time.

“I’m not worried at all,” said Rivers before Wednesday’s game against Detroit. “It’s early in the year. I guarantee by the end of the year, you’ll look at the numbers, and they’ll look great. You know, it’s a whole year, and that’s why we can’t overdo things when guys have a three-week spike in minutes, and all of there sudden, we’re overreacting to that. You don’t. We’ve been low on guards, so guys have to play minutes. James is one of those guys that can handle minutes. By the end of the year, his minutes will be down.”

With the Sixers currently lacking guard depth since Tyrese Maxey remains out, Rivers has kept Harden on the floor for an average of 39 minutes since he returned from an injury. Considering Harden has looked and felt good during this stretch, the Sixers will continue to reap the benefits of having the All-Star running the offense. 

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