James Harden has received some high praise from West-leading Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone in the lead-up to their clash with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.
Prior to the game, Malone said that Harden has “checked his ego at the door” this season, going on to say that he has been impressed with how both he and Tyrese Maxey have been playing, per Tim Bontemps.
The Sixers began this month in terrific form, winning nine of their first ten games in March. And while MVP favorite Joel Embiid has clearly been a primary reason for that, so too has the play of James Harden.
He missed a couple of those ten games, but in the eight that he played, the 2018 MVP put up some gaudy numbers. He averaged over 22 points per game, but more impressive was his passing, with 11.5 assists also coming per night.
Those numbers are in line with what James Harden has been doing all season. Often criticised for his iso-centric style of play, with arguably the best player in the world on his team this year he has turned his game on its head. He’s taken just 14.6 shots per game, which, excluding last year when he played just 21 games, is the lowest he’s averaged since 2011-12. His passing game has become a focus, with his 10.8 assists the third highest number of his career.
Alongside Embiid and with Tyrese Maxey continuing to improve, Harden has helped to make the 76ers a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. With him absent for four of the past five games, however, they have gone 2-3, indicative of his importance to the side.
With just eight games to go in their regular season, they are locked in third a couple of games behind the Boston Celtics in second and a couple ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in fourth. With a move either up or down the standings still a distinct possibility, their game against the Western Conference leading Nuggets is as significant as it is likely to be entertaining, though unfortunately they’ll have to do it without both Harden and Embiid.
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