Now that James Harden has debuted for the Philadelphia 76ers, they have become one of the hottest topics in basketball. The former MVP is already meshing well with his new teammates, and it has resulted in two blowout victories for the Sixers.
By far the biggest way Harden has elevated the Sixers is with his passing. In Sunday's win over the Knicks, he tied his season high in assists with 16 en route to posting a triple-double. Currently, Harden sits at second in the NBA in assists per game at 10.2, trailing only Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul.
Following practice on Tuesday, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers was asked about the playmaking of his new All-Star guard. He is not surprised by the elite facilitation and feels many forget Harden entered the NBA as a primary playmaker.
“People forget his first two years at Oklahoma, when he came in, he was the point guard. They moved Russell [Westbrook] over to the 2. I think people forget that. Scotty Brooks wanted him to be the facilitator more. What I think we were all surprised with is when he went to Houston and could score the way he scores because he came into the league as a passer,” said Rivers.
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This is not the first time we've seen Harden embrace the facilitator role. When he first arrived in Brooklyn, he became the maestro of the offense playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Now, in Philadelphia, we are seeing the same thing unfold as he co-exists with Joel Embiid and company.
Harden's ability to run an offense is what made him such a perfect fit on the Sixers. Since the departure of Ben Simmons, the lineup lacked a true primary playmaker. With Harden in the fray now, guys are getting open looks they have never seen before.
With a guy like Embiid on the floor, Harden understands he does not have to take on the scoring load by himself. Instead, he is creating lanes for the All-Star center to do damage like he has done all year. Despite another ball-dominant superstar entering the lineup, Embiid is still posting monster stat lines.
Rivers was spot on about many overlooking Harden's passing because of his absurd scoring averages during his time with the Rockets. Based on his first two performances with the Sixers, Harden intends on reminding everyone just how good a facilitator he can be.
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