James Harden has been good for the 76ers, but just how good are we talking?
Having vowed to do better after a less than stellar post-season, it would appear James Harden has more than kept his word.
Having started the season in a less than ideal way, the Sixers got a boost on Monday from one of their stars and the truth is, it looks like he’s just getting started on his return to prominence.
James Harden exploded against the Indiana Pacers
Though the critics were beginning to circle, the Philadelphia 76ers finally got themselves a win on Monday night against the Indian Pacers. Indeed, the Sixers were up by double figures as early as the first quarter and actually never went behind for the rest of the game. In the end they took the ‘W’ with a 120-106 victory and with that are now sitting on a 1-3 record. Yet, here’s the thing: none of it would have been possible were it not for James Harden. Continuing his sensational start to the season, Harden fell just short of what would have been the 70th triple-double of his career. In the end, he finished the night with 29 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists on an impressive 10 of 18 from the field.
Indeed, fans could see how the night was going to go from the first play of the game, on which Harden found Tobias Harris for a 3-pointer. Just a matter of minutes later, he was again the protagonist with a dunk. Perhaps the best moment of the night, was in the fourth quarter when the former league MVP when he displaced - that’s being kind - Pacers rookie Benedict Mathurin with a slick dribbling sequence followed by a crisp 3-pointer. The bucket pushed the lead back to 14 and essentially put a stamp of authority on the win. Truth be told, Harden did just about everything on the night.
How good has James Harden been for the 76ers?
To be fair to Philly and their early season troubles, fellow star Joel Embiid is still fighting to recover fully. To that end, the struggles are understandable. On the other hand, Harden has been nothing short of excellent in the big man’s absence. Quite frankly, though results have not gone there way in three of their four games so far, the performances that Harden has been turning in are the kind that Sixers fans have been hoping for since he arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Nets.
Across their four games, Harden has been averaging 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. Fans will remember that the ten-time NBA All-Star promised that he’d get back to his best after a less than stellar showing last season. By all accounts, it would appear that the former Rockets player has more than kept his end of that bargain. Assuming he keeps going and Embiid comes back into the fold sooner rather than later, the Philadelphia 76ers could well be a title contender this year.