James Harden hasn't been his usual self not only in the playoffs but ever since he joined the Philadelphia 76ers, and his numbers prove that as well.
When Joel Embiid was ruled out for Games 1 and 2 of their playoffs series with the Miami Heat because of a head injury, many thought that Harden would be able to step up and carry the offensive load for the team like he used to when he was with the Houston Rockets. Considered one of the best scorers of the generation, many believed that it was just the right opportunity for The Beard to take a leading role again and get back to his scoring ways.
Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. According to Stat Muse, in the 29 games Harden has played for the Sixers (including the playoffs), he has never shot more than 20 attempts in a game. For comparison, he averaged 19.6 shot attempts per game through his eight seasons with the Rockets.
James Harden has played 29 games with the Sixers.
He has zero games with 20 shot attempts. pic.twitter.com/IGRiSeLEQA
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 5, 2022




Offensively, he has been bad in this postseason as well, especially in the second half of games. Per another Stat Muse report, James Harden is averaging just 7.1 second half points in the eight playoff matches he has played so far.
James Harden this playoffs
First half Second half
11.6 PTS 7.1 PTS
5.0 AST 4.4 AST
42 FG% 37 FG%
37 3P% 32 3P% pic.twitter.com/BYGZOVkcI9— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 5, 2022
These are certainly concerning numbers. After all, this is not the Harden Sixers fans expected when the team traded for him.
Of course it is not yet too late for Harden to bounce back, but his chances are limited now after the Sixers drop 2-0 in their series with the Heat. Not to mention that the criticisms on him being old are only going to grow as he continues to struggle.