James Harden hasn't looked like himself for quite some time. The former league MVP has gone from nuclear scoring weapon on the Houston Rockets to enigmatic playmaker in the span of two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

But a lot of that had to do with a hamstring injury that just never went away. It kept him from aiding Kevin Durant in 2021 in a year the Nets were seen as the likely favorites to come out of the East. He looked like a hobbled shell of himself during that series.

James Harden also looked a step slow with the Sixers. While he had some monster games here and there, the dynamic penetrator and shifty perimeter threat just wasn't there consistently enough during his half season in Philly.

But in the middle of a lengthy offseason with relatively tame contract troubles, the bearded one looks focused on putting that hamstring injury behind him:

“I’ve had the luxury of not having to deal with any serious injuries — with surgeries or whatnot — my entire career,” said James Harden during an interview with Laura Schreffler of Haute Time. “But these last two years, I’ve been dealing with some hamstring issues, which are nothing to play with. So I’m taking this summer as an opportunity to do something for me, to make sure that I get back to the elite level that I know I can be at and that I will be at.”

“So that’s priority No. 1. Basketball is the engine that drives everything — for us to be having this conversation, all the partners that I have, and the great things that I have going on outside of basketball — so I’ve got to make sure that’s on point.”

We've seen a few of his peers in Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry play at a superstar level well into their thirties. Harden, 32, is a few years younger than them but hasn't been at that same level. He's going to try to get there next season.