It has become clear over the course of the season – and especially in the playoffs – that the current version of James Harden isn’t the same one who earned the MVP award in 2018 with the Rockets, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who suggests that recurring hamstring issues over the last couple years have slowed down the Sixers guard.
“Since we got him, everybody expected the Houston James Harden,” Sixers star Joel Embiid said on Thursday, after the team lost Game 6 to the Heat and was eliminated from the postseason. “But that’s not who he is anymore. He’s more of a play-maker.”
While it’s true that Harden is still an elite play-maker, he’s being paid like he’s also an elite scorer, with a $44.3MM salary this season and a $47.4MM player option for 2022/23.
There’s a belief in some league circles that Harden isn’t fully healthy and has bounce-back potential, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. However, according to Bontemps, the soon-to-be 33-year-old is viewed by many executives as more of a $25-30MM per year player than a superstar who should warrant a five-year, $270MM commitment this offseason.
During an ESPN appearance (video link), Amar’e Stoudemire, who saw Harden up close as a member of the Nets’ coaching staff this season, questioned the guard’s conditioning and advised the Sixers against offering a maximum-salary contract.
Harden, who will be eligible for a contract extension if he picks up his player option or a new free agent contract if he turns it down, suggested after Thursday’s loss that he would be open to taking less than his max, and an Eastern Conference scout who spoke to Bontemps said the 76ers would be wise to go that route.
“If there were any logic whatsoever, the answer (to giving him a max deal) would be no,” the scout said.
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- Asked after Thursday’s loss about his job security, head coach Doc Rivers defended his track record, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “I don’t worry about my job,” Rivers said. “I think I do a terrific job. If you don’t, then you should write it. I worked my butt off to get this team here. When I first got here, no one picked us to be anywhere. Again this year, the same thing.”
- After leaving Game 6 due to a left knee injury, Sixers swingman Danny Green will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. There’s “significant concern” that Green’s injury is a serious one, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays.
[UPDATE: Danny Green Diagnosed With Torn Left ACL, LCL] - Having eliminated the 76ers from the postseason, former Sixer Jimmy Butler rubbed salt in the wound, according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, who notes that the Heat forward said in his postgame interview he wishes he were still playing with Embiid. On his way to the locker room after the game, Butler also referenced the 2019 offseason, when Philadelphia invested heavily in Tobias Harris as Butler departed for Miami. “Tobias Harris over me?!” Butler yelled, as captured by Miami’s WPLG Local 10 Sports (video link).
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype both preview the Sixers’ upcoming offseason, examining some of the biggest questions facing the franchise in the coming weeks and months.
Ben Simmons is gone & as always Philly badly needs a scapegoat so James Harden its on u bruh. I’m sure in a few days we’ll get a quote from Doc saying something ridiculous like Harden isn’t good enough to win a title lol
I agree that the fall guy here is James Harden and rightfully so. He and Ben Simmons should hang out. 2 guys who buckle like belts when the lights are the brightest.
And that has to be one of the all time clueless and out of touch press conferences from a head coach as you’ll ever see.
You are a prime example of someone who doesn’t deserve to watch Harden play basketball. You think he’s a bad basketball player. The truth is you’re a bad basketball fan. Step back just a little & look at the situation. Harden struggled a bit vs a great Miami defense but was overall pretty good in these playoffs & has been HOF level great as a postseason player throughout his career. You on the other hand are apparently incapable of recognizing obvious greatness when it’s right in front of u on display for over a decade. As a pro basketball player Harden is good, you should definitely look to improve as a fan this off-season tho
Lol. Whatever you say my dude
@Sank
Dude not only are you wrong but you’re quite arrogant about it. Not only are his numbers down but his body language sucks. He looks interested.
Add this to the collection of your horrible takes dude
Lol this sankara guy gets so butt hurt when fans criticize players
I’m with Sankra on this one. Everybody likes to trash and rip players and coaches from the safety of a message board or forum.
Me? There are only a handful of times. For the most part I am loving watching some of the best ball of my life. So many guys playing at super high competitive level, and so many want to say he is a bum he should retire.
C’mon, Hardens debut in Philly has been lackluster to say the least. But by most metrics he rated 16-18 as best player around today. Harden played 27? Games for us and holds the top 16 assists in a game spots for us. It’s on him, Jo, Morey, Doc and company to figure out how to best blend the team.
To say he is a bum, shows an agenda, a lack of understanding and makes we wonder if those people watch or know ball on any level.
Phillyphan. Not once in my comment that Sankara ripped me for mentioned anything about him being a “bum”
Fans criticize players, coaches, GMs, etc. it’s part of being a fan; at a game or on a forum
Harden sucked ….. he’s washed up. He does not take care of himself or his gm. The players all know it. He’s been out of gm shape since the Rockets preseason. When he asked out. He’s had a hamstring injury for 2 and a half yrs. You’re a fool if you believe in that Diva ……..
As a Knicks fan, you certainly know what sucking looks like…so forgive me for choosing to overlook your analysis
I say “Philly” needs a scapegoat but clearly it’s just media overall that is just always starving to sacrifice a great basketball player and see if/how quickly they can get fans to turn on the guy, especially around this time of yr. LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Paul George, World B. Free, Chris Paul, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Isiah Thomas, Ben Simmons, David Robinson, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Dennis Johnson, Dwight Howard & obv many more are all extremely great basketball players that have all been dragged by mass media for not being sufficiently dominant. Tearing these guys down (or at least trying to) is the real national past-time. Floyd Mayweather leaned into that hate that media/white America had for him & it made him the most successful athlete ever. It might be time for Harden/Simmons (& guys like Ja/Ant/Jabari who are certainly next to be hated by the same segment of “fans”) to go ahead & just embrace the bad guy role that society has placed on us. The love/respect ain’t ever coming, at least not while they’re playing. If they’re gonna hate u, might as well milk em dry in the process
What a take
Someone is showing off his misleading racial demagoguery again.
He may be institutionalized, and kept in easier control by certain angles enabling effective sedation.
Harden cannot do as much as before, like anyone else eventually. Nothing that should threaten peace of mind.
@Sank
Dude….. I’m Black….. you’re stupid. No one is critiquing LBJ for being out of shape or lazy. In fact, that’s often one if the things he’s praised for. I have no idea the cause or reason but Harden is no where near the player he was just 3 years ago. Add to his history of being out of shape at the start of the year and loafing when he’s not happy doesn’t make it better. Are some fans racist in some of their comments? Absolutley, but this criticism towards Hayden is justified. Even Embiid alluded to it as well.
I definitely agree about how ridiculous people can be; I was actually having a conversation about it earlier today, and how certain past players get no respect. Social media is responsible for this type of stuff b/c of the elevated egos and entitlement it gives people to think that everything they say actually matters, and they have to have something to say about anything and everything. And it leaks into real life now, and you cant really escape it. Social media is a sickness
@Sank
I have no desire to defend Rivers but in this case Harden IS the major reason they have been ousted in the playoffs. He went from an aggressive shooter and 23/10/8 guy on Brooklyn over the last couple of years to a guy who broke 20 points only twice during the Heat series. At times, he seemed completely uninterested in participating in the game, on both sides of the ball.
How many titles did Harden win over his long career?
Doc Rivers can’t overachieve in playoffs
2016 and 2017
4th seed
Out first round
2020
2nd seed
Past first round
2021
1st seed
Past first round
If you are top 2 seeds, you would have some playoffs success
Why 76ers won’t win championships next 3 seasons?
Where are the mistakes?
IMO
GM 40%
Harden 30%
Doc Rivers 30%
All 3 are flaw
This team needs find more young players and draft picks
Heat have 8 undrafted players
Father Time claims another victim….
If Harden dedicated himself to the game instead of the night clubs, Father Time would be a few years away.
“Washed” Harden is still better than Ben Simmons. It is what it is. We’ve all acknowledged that the supporting cast is trash. They didn’t have the overall lineup to make the Finals. And when the best player in the league injured his hand and face before the series starts and you spot the other team 2 wins… hard to come back from that.
Houston Harden showed up for 1 game, that’s about it. The rest was facilitator Harden, and hes been shooting bad, which has been an issue since we got him.
This comment is way more coherent, factual & just better than vast majority of comments I see in here but it’s still way off in numerous areas smh. Phillys supporting cast is clearly not trash. Shake played great last night & has been a good bench guard for yrs in Philly. Guys like Matisse/Korkmaz/Niang didn’t play well in the playoffs but you calling them trash basically tells people (with sense) that u don’t know what ur talking about & shouldn’t be taken seriously
I’ve been watching, and playing basketball my whole life. You’re just going to not talk about the bench Center situation?
Shake has been off all season – ankle / covid / back. Not a reliable backup guard this year since December.
Furkan has been horrible all season.
Tisse – I’ve been on board for trading him all year. He hasn’t improved his shot and is coming up on extension time – I’m a fan of ‘sell high’ on Tisse.
Niang is the only bright spot of the bench.
While I like BBall, he’s a liability bc the other team is in the bonus sooner with him on the court.
Joe is unplayable. Springer has seen no action, same with Bassey.
So of the non-trash bench, as you see it, there’s 1 decent piece. Hard to win with only 6 players.
This also isn’t a new concept – it’s been an issue all season, esp. after the Harden trade when they got no one else.
Doc is that??? Gotta love all the excuses that Philly fans make. I guess they’ll follow their coaches lead to the grave.
I’m just enjoying how “The Process” is playing out. Lmao
enjoying how “the process” is playing out?
Dude, that ship sunk a while ago
Harden needs to adjust his game to his current skill set. He can’t be looking for iso’s so much. The man can still shoot the ball extremely well, he needs to add “spot up shooter” to his repertoire.
I don’t see Harden as the scapegoat. The team was so worried another their transition defense, NO one (except maybe Reed) was following shots and trying to get rebounds. After each shot the entire team ran down court.
I’ll give Embiid a bit of a buy b/c of his injuries, but he should be in the post 85-90% of the time and not hanging our by the 3 point line.
Harris has a nice offensive game, but for a PF he needs to be alot more aggressive on the glass – especially with rebounding and tip-ins.
Doc should take some of the blame in not making the necessary adjustments. With Embiid out, he should have found playing time for Bassey – who has a nice defensive presence – OVER Jordan.
Harden’s play could have been better, but there is plenty of blame to go around.
Right every time.
Embiid’s head injury was the drag.
Supporting cast was plenty good enough. It’s the stars that couldn’t do it. Harden is out of shape and slow (never was a great shooter or even an acceptable defender). Embiid is hurt, as he often is, and doesn’t make people around him better. They’ll never make it with that crew.
Harden got dam near 3000 treys in his career, #3 all time in made 3s but he’s not a great 3pt shooter smh this is exactly what I’m talking about.. Why does this person follow pro basketball?
I think he meant he hasnt been an efficient scorer, without the exorbitant amount of free throws he gets from flailing his arms into people. It does seem like he is referring to his 3 point shooting, but I think that’s just phrasing
Harden didn’t look old, he just looked lazy. Old people can still shoot 3’s. And they can still go to the gym. Harden did not do much of either the last few months.
“I worked my butt off to get this team here. When I first got here, no one picked us to be anywhere. Again this year, the same thing”
You *haven’t* been anywhere Doc. You can’t get out of the second round just like the last guy. Have a seat.
The fact of the matter is that Embiid and Harden are playoff chokers. Embiid has yet to pass the second round and Harden buckles under pressure. This was an elimination game and Harden choked as usual.
This is what happens when you have perennial chokers on your team. They lost to a Heat team playing without their point guard. Pathetic.
Has is Embiid a choker?
The man is in rough shape
SMH
Was he in “rough” shape in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 as well? There’s a word for it and it’s called choking.
Embiid is a choker. Plain and simple.
Actually last season he played on a torn meniscus and averaged 30/10 in the Hawks series. Such a choker
And he’s such a choker because Kawhi Leonard made an unbelievable shot in a game 7
I think the choker you’re referring to was his teammate who cried his way out of town
It’s always some excuse every year.
Yes he’s a choker. Keep making excuses.
Leonard is a winner and that’s what winners do. Embiid can learn something from him instead of being such a choker.
Lol. Ok
It’s the biggest financial mystery why he didnt take the extension from Nets last offseason. Harden needs to opt out this year, or else he is not going to get anything good mext offseason. He is in serious decline.
I wouldn’t pay Harden 25mil. He’ll be 34 next year and he’s not going to get better with age. If I’m him I’d take the 47mil and after, hope to find a sucker that’s willing to give him a 20+mil AAV for 3 years.
Maxey let them down in this series. The 76ers needed him to make 3s and he just didn’t get the job done. That said, he’s taken big strides in his development and I believe he’s got a good future in the NBA.
I was never high on the 76ers to begin with. The days of building a championship team are long gone. Moreover, Embiid as been an injury waiting to happen since Kansas. If the 76ers are smart, they should trade him while he’s still valuable. I can see the market for bigs crashing this summer. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility to see the following bigs on the market as soon as the season ends. KAT, Gobert, Siakam, Jokic, etc. In the modern NBA, bigs aren’t as valuable as wings.
EDIT: The days of building a championship team around a big are over.
EDIT: you can no longer build a championship team around a big.
I disagree. Basketball is a cyclical sport, requiring constant adjustment. Maybe the league is currently more skewed toward wings. However, history has shown that as teams defensively adapt to a favored style, adjustments will need be made once more. As a result, a different position will have an advantage.
Your argument also doesn’t make sense when you consider that Jokic and Embiid are more versatile on offense than Giannis. The latter is better on defense and holds his own in the paint, but the former 2 are more proficient shooters across the court
You can if he wants to be called a 4.
Jokic winning consecutive MVPs is a joke. No big, beyond Giannis should ever win that award.
Using your bias as a point doesn’t prove anything. Jokic & Embiid were MVP leaders IRL.
Giannis would be too but he prefers to be called a 4 and who would say no? Duncan and Nowitski too. James called Davis the team leader… James came first but the Lakers & Davis would happen eventually… There’s always a story. Dray with the death lineup. Bosh & Shaq traditional centers.
I seek verification of your theory but I guess it is too advanced to have any actual instances.
What exactly is a “wing”? The modern game is predicated on talent and versatility. It doesn’t matter what position you’re listed at. Offensively Jokic is responsible for facilitating the offense and scoring from all levels be it inside, the midrange or shooting 3’s. Just like LeBron who is what most would call a prototypical “wing”. Another example is Devin Booker he’s listed at SG which is traditionally considered a wing position. His job is almost exactly the same as LeBron and Jokic’s. He scores at all levels and helps Facilitate the offense.
Roflmao at Doc Rivers. He strongly lacks self awareness
One of the more out of touch press conferences you’ll see
Right up there with some of his others…but I wont say too much more. I’ve said enough about him and Harden over the years, and recently, as well as in the other article. I also have no idea what he’s talking about in terms of expectations. Last year, I had them 1 or 2 going into the season, but this is just him trying to pretend like his roster wasnt versatile or deep enough b/c he doesnt know who plays for him
Doc Rivers seems to have bought into the shamelessness culture. What an embarrassment from a head coach. Was he like this prior to Philly?
Yes
I am a Celtics fan and Doc was a overrated and subpar coach even back then. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Sixers an underdog, Doc? I think I had them #2 EC and it was not a rare choice.
Im 7-2 EC, no thanks Nets & Sixers, unfortunately my 1&2 EC.
Athletes are always saying they had to overcome adversity or say “they said it couldn’t be done” but I expect more from a HC. The Sixers spun their wheels.
I can’t say what Rivers did wrong tho… He probably told Embiid & Tobias to get inside more but that did not happen.
It is hard enough to stay elite at Harden’s age with a strict off season program but if your off season program is strictly strip clubs then you will fall off the cliff fast. 76ers should try and trade him after he opts in.
What is this based upon? Nearly every sixer when asked what surprised them most when Harden joined the team was: His work ethic.
I am sure he likes to party…I’m sure he is not alone….but lazy or non commited seems to be a fan/media narrative.
We need bidens ministry of disinformation for that sankara guys takes in here
Fools to let Jimmy walk. But they didn’t like him speaking up. This from a team who took Fultz over Tatum. I like Tobias a NYer. Jimmy is best 2way player in the game. Been saying it for yrs. RJ will be there soon.
Love Jimmy …..