CAMDEN, NJ — James Harden kicked off the 2022-23 season by scoring the most points he ever had in his short time with the Philadelphia 76ers. He dropped 35 points, along with eight boards and seven assists, on the Boston Celtics as the Sixers lost on opening night. It seemed like a pleasant surprise for Harden ahead of a season in which his abilities are under heavy scrutiny. But for Tyrese Maxey, it was no surprise.
After the Sixers' pregame shootaround, Maxey said that he was not surprised with Harden's great game on opening night.
“He’s James Harden. I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I know what he can do,” Maxey said. “I’ve seen it on TV, I’ve seen it in real life, I’ve seen it all before. So, I wasn’t surprised, other than when he hit the shot when he was leaning. I was like, ‘Alright, now he’s just doing everything out here.’ He was great.”
James Harden drilled a crazy 3-pointer en route to a monster first half 🔥
22 points
3 rebounds
4 assists5-of-9 FG
4-of-7 3PT
8-of-8 FTpic.twitter.com/oFZcuZIQYX— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 19, 2022
Harden put up a somewhat vintage performance as he held the ball far more often than any other player and stuffed the stat sheet. Although having the ball in his hands so often wasn't necessarily by design — he will certainly lead the offense but not exactly in the way he used to with the Houston Rockets — Harden proved that he can still dominate with an iso-heavy game.
Save for a few brutal missed opportunities for highlights, The Beard had himself a very promising start to the season. When asked if Harden has a chip on his shoulder this season, Maxey said that the only chip is to help lead the Sixers to a championship. He explained that it's all about winning for his veteran backcourt mate.
“He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has nothing to prove to anybody, other than to help us win a championship,” Maxey said. “I think that’s all he really cares about: whatever it takes to help us win. If it’s going out there and scoring 35 or going out there and scoring 18 and having 17 assists, he doesn’t really care. He just wants to win.”
Maxey stressed that the Sixers will roll with whoever has it going. Whether it's him, Harden, Joel Embiid or Tobias Harris, Philly is looking to ride the hot hand.
The Sixers face the Milwaukee Bucks in their home opener on Thursday evening. No matter who has the knack, it will be key for Philly to get its offense going against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and company.
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