When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for James Harden midway through the 2021-22 season, they had high hopes he's the missing piece for their title aspirations. Despite the fact that they failed to even make it to the conference finals in the playoffs, Sixers president Daryl Morey still believes Harden is the guy to take them to that next level.
Speaking on The Takeoff with John Clark podcast, Morey opened up about Harden's massive impact on the Sixers that people often overlook. He emphasized that looking at the analytics alone, it's easy how The Beard has transformed the team for the better.
“Look, between the money he gave up and his commitment to the franchise from Day 1 to do what (head coach Doc Rivers) wants … I’m someone who looks at data quite a bit. All the players on the team’s shooting percentages went way up off passes from him. Our team overall was elevated after he came. Joel and James were the No. 1 pick-and-roll combo — really (in) years; it wasn’t just last season. It just shows the overall impact and how he’s lifting the whole team to help us win a title,” Morey explained, via NBC Sports.
Of course many will argue with that, especially since James Harden basically disappeared on the Sixers when they needed him most during the playoffs. While the stats could say other wise, the eye test is hard to ignore. There's a reason Harden was criticized and labeled as “washed” during the postseason.
Harden did say he was not 100 percent during the postseason, and his lack of playing time with his teammates contributed to his struggles. With that said, the 2022-23 campaign will be the real test whether the Sixers' gamble on him will work or not.
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