The Philadelphia 76ers went the distance to get and then keep James Harden on board.
But Daryl Morey knew that he was getting a different version of the Harden he had in Houston.
The former MVP is no longer the scoring machine and offensive juggernaut he used to be in his prime.
He won’t be getting 40-point triple-doubles on a nightly basis, but that’s not what they need of him anyways.
Instead, they need Harden to put on his playmaker suit, and he’s embraced that role as a pass-first kind of guy for the first time in his career.
While Harden has averaged double-digits in assists multiple times over the years, he’s changed his game in favor of feeding Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, even if that means his scoring numbers take a major dip.
But that doesn’t mean he’s not putting up video-game-like stats anyway.
In fact, The Beard currently leads the NBA in games with 15+ assists this season (6).
James Harden tonight:
24 PTS | 6 REB | 15 AST | 72.6 TS%
This was Harden’s 6th 15 assist game this season, which leads the entire NBA. pic.twitter.com/6KjluDGqyx
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) January 13, 2023
Moreover, while he’s not leading the league in total assists after missing time with an injury, he’s currently No. 1 in assists per game average at 11.2.
Notably, this is tied with Harden’s career-high average from the 2016-17 season, when he finished the season as the league’s leader in that regard.
The Sixers are currently fifth in the East with a 25-16 record, and they’ll be contenders for as long as Harden and Embiid stay on the court.
So, yeah, he might not be the 50-point-game machine he used to be, but Harden is far from done in this league.
