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James Harden wasn't his usual self for the majority of their first round playoffs series. In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers star has looked nothing close to his Houston Rockets version that can put up 30 to 50 points a night when he wants to.
Against the Toronto Raptors, Harden averaged just 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game on 38.2 percent shooting from the field. There were two games he committed more turnovers that baskets made, and one of his favorite shots in the floater was not as effective as it used to be.
It led to many people criticizing Harden. Kendrick Perkins went as far as to saying that Father Time has caught up to the Sixers star. The former NBA big man also predicted that the inefficient and non-impactful version of The Beard is what fans are going to see throughout the postseason.
After their Game 6 win on Thursday to close out the series, however, Harden opened up about his struggles and pointed out to the adjustments he needs to make as the reason for his struggles with the Sixers.
“My confidence continues to grow as I learn my teammates, learn what they like to do. In moments like this, you can really learn. Today was a great win for us,” Harden shared, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “All this is new. We are trying to figure it out on the fly. Things aren’t going to be great all the time.”
James Harden had his best outing in Game 6, dropping 22 points on top of six rebounds and 15 assists to lead the Sixers to victory. It also effectively shut down the naysayers thinking he's too old already.
Of course there's a lot more work to do as the Sixers progress in the postseason. Fortunately, it looks like Harden is finding his stride at the right time.
