Sixers: James Harden is older, not broken

James Harden will, in a few months time, turn 33 years old. He has a lot of NBA milage from his days as an iron-man MVP candidate in Houston. Hamstring issues have plagued him two years in a row, and he doesn’t quite possess the same rumbling momentum driving downhill that once elevated him to god-like status with the Rockets.

The Sixers‘ version of James Harden is older, maybe wiser, and still extremely effective. There has been justified panic after two subpar performances from the veteran guard, but remember — those two bad performances come on the heels of five really good performances. Odds are, Harden’s production will land somewhere in the middle.

Better days lie ahead for James Harden and the Sixers after two subpar performances.

In seven games with Philadelphia, Harden is averaging 22.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 10.4 assists on .420/.404/.891 shooting splits. His lack of efficiency from 2-point range (43.4 percent) is the primary point of concern. He went 0-10 inside the arc in the now iconic Brooklyn game, and struggled similarly in the first half against Orlando. For a player who once feasted on drives to the rim, Harden’s inefficient finishing is undoubtedly troubling.

For whatever reason — be it age, injury, rust, or some other vague and implacable reason — Harden does not have the same burst and lift he once did. Harden has never been the premier quick-twitch athlete, but he has always been able to change speeds on a dime. His gear-shifting ability has clearly taken a hit. Now his drives rely almost entirely on strength, which has led to some unfortunate-looking blocked shots in his past two outings.

The solution for Harden is twofold: stop looking for calls that won’t come, and rediscover the floater. If Harden can start more consistently leaning on the floater, it will force defenses to recalibrate and potentially open up clearer lanes to the rack. And, while Harden will never quit the grift entirely (nor should he), too often he has sacrificed real shot attempts in favor of unsuccessful foul-baiting. With his diminished manipulative ability, Harden won’t get all the calls he is accustomed to getting.

Harden’s first few games in Philadelphia were defined by confident drives, calculated shot attempts, and ping-pong ball movement along the perimeter. The ball movement hasn’t quite hummed the last couple outings, and Philadelphia’s offense has suffered because of it. Harden is still the basketball genius charged with helming the Sixers’ offense. In the Brooklyn and Orlando games, he went gun-shy. That’s understandable in the moment — he was struggling so immensely to get himself going — but when push comes to shove, Harden’s best attribute has long been his aggressive, decisive demeanor. There’s every reason to expect he will get back to that as he gets more comfortable in Philadelphia’s system.

The Sixers still have a month of basketball before the playoffs start. Smartly, it has been announced that both Harden and Joel Embiid will get days off between now and the postseason. For the Sixers, health and longevity is still paramount. Harden and Embiid still mark arguably the best duo in the Eastern Conference on paper. It’s important to make sure that duo doesn’t run out of steam.

The additional rest should also help Harden keep his legs under him. Ideally, fewer nights like the Orlando game on Sunday — in which he played 44 minutes on the front half of a back-to-back — will occupy the Sixers’ remaining schedule. Beat the teams you have to beat, sit tight in the top-3 range, and gear up for a rough and tumble playoffs. That should be the Sixers’ goal.

As for Harden specifically, Sixer fans should avoid panic. There’s obvious reason for concern, and every sensible person acknowledged the downside risk when the trade was made. That said, top-end talent wins championships, and when he’s rolling, very few players can impact a game like James Harden. His basketball I.Q. and shot-making potential have already made a considerable impact on the team, and better nights are ahead. A two-game skid cannot inform the fanbase’s opinion.

The Sixers’ next game is Monday night at home, against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on ESPN. That should be fun. We’ll see if Harden can bounce back.