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Coming out of the 2022 All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers are one team the basketball community will have its eyes peeled on. After acquiring James Harden at the trade deadline, the former MVP is expected to make his debut for the Sixers on Friday in Minnesota.
Since the deal became official, expectations for the Sixers went through the roof. They are now firmly planted in the conversation of teams to compete for a title this season. With the bar getting raised, more pressure comes along as well. That being said, here are the two Sixers under the most pressure coming out of the break.
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Sixers facing most pressure
James Harden
After how things have played out, Harden will be under a lot of pressure in the coming months. With the Sixers being his third team in slightly over a year, his legacy could be on the line.
When Daryl Morey pulled off this deal to reunite with Harden, many argued the Sixers now have the top duo in the NBA. Harden is not only faced with finding a way to mesh alongside Joel Embiid but do so at a high level come the postseason.
The playoffs are another factor in Harden being under pressure. Throughout his career, there have been times he has come up short when the lights were brightest. Now, Harden has the opportunity to change that narrative by being a reliable running mate to Embiid and helping lead the Sixers back to the NBA Finals for the first time in over 20 years.
Given all of the circumstances, there are few players on this Sixers roster under more pressure than Harden.
While he might not be a player on the team, Doc Rivers is also faced with a great amount of pressure. Someone has to put a plan in place to get this team ready for a playoff push, and that job falls to him. With roughly six weeks of regular-season action left, all eyes will be on Rivers to see if he can integrate the new All-Star addition to the lineup.
There is no denying Rivers is a future Hall of Fame head coach and one of the best at what he does, but his resume does have blemishes. Critics often like to bring up how many times he has been on the wrong end of 3-1 comebacks in the playoffs.
This postseason, Rivers has a chance to flip the script after how things went last year. He has a high-powered duo leading the charge and an array of talent up and down the roster. In an Eastern Conference that is considered wide open, the Sixers are capable of ending their playoff misfortunes.
Situations like this are why the Sixers went and got Rivers to be the franchise's head coach. With the talent in place now, it is on him to show he can help elevate them to a true championship contender.
