CAMDEN, NJ — After opening the season with a strong offense and poor defense, the Philadelphia 76ers have flipped the script. With James Harden sidelined, they made up for their dismal offense with literally the best defense in the NBA. The Sixers have since cooled off and are trying to reintegrate Harden while patching some holes on defense.

Harden is active again and trying to get his mojo back. Tyrese Maxey remains out so De'Anthony Melton is occupying the starting guard spot next to Harden. With the Sixers' primary floor general back, his on-ball duties on offense will dip and he can focus on his defense and off-ball skills on offense.

When asked what he has to readjust about his game with Harden back, Melton said that he just needs to keep playing his game. He also highlighted one area of the game where Harden will be the biggest help for Philly.

“It's nothing much different for me,” the Sixers guard said. “Honestly, I just try to go out there and impact the game, make the right pass…Harden, he's such a great passer that you can get it to him in the open court and he'll find guys. So, having another person to push the ball [and] find open guys is probably the most important thing.”

Harden's playmaking was the primary reason he wasn't a total negative in his return. He struggled to score, especially inside the arc and during crunch time but did a great job of manipulating the defense and finding open shots for his teammates.

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James Harden will make the Sixers' life on offense easier but he isn't expected to do the same on the other end of the floor. As one of the team's best and most important defenders, De'Anthony Melton is leading the charge to tighten up on that end of the floor. Doc Rivers underscored the need for Philly to do better at keeping the ball out of the paint.

“Just more communication,” Melton said when asked what the Sixers have to do better at following a disappointing road trip. “More communication, more effort out there. We're doing good. We've had good defensive numbers, but we just got to figure out how to close it out. We've been in a lot of close games. I think that's the most important thing our team has to grow on.”