BROOKLYN, NY — James Harden did not have a strong performance in Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. But he did just enough to secure a win, getting the Sixers into the next round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
While not nearly as worrisome as Joel Embiid's knee injury that could cost him some time in the second round, Harden's struggles are something the Sixers have to figure out. He hasn't been able to rid himself of defenders to get up a clean look or get around tough interior defense often enough. Although Harden looked better at getting close shots as the series went on, it doesn't inspire much confidence that he can just flip the switch and start making them.
Harden knows he struggled at the rim against the Nets in the Sixers' Game 4 win, where he shot 4-18 overall. “I know myself, had a lot of layups, attempts at the rim — Tyrese [Maxey] felt the same way — that we didn't convert that could have made this game a lot easier,” the Sixers guard said. Even when Harden posted 23 points and 13 assists in Game 1, he struggled immensely to score inside the arc. He isn't too worried about it, though.
“Just playing different,” Harden said when asked about his struggles to score inside. “Playing different styles and then tonight having way more opportunities, like opportunities that I really don’t get. I'm usually just setting people up and things like that. It's a lot more attacks, attacks, attacks throughout the course of a 40-minute game. I had plenty of opportunities, I just couldn’t make them.”
James Harden's scoring woes in the paint are extra worrisome with a potential matchup against the Boston Celtics on deck. Like the Nets, they have strong defenders at the guard and wing spots as well as two spectacular defensive guards in Marcus Smart and Derrick White. The Sixers need him to make more plays like the one against Cam Johnson and get by his defender to create for himself and his teammates.
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