“He’s unfixable, he’s unredeemable, he’s unsalvageable” - Skip Bayless believes former MVP is ‘officially washed’
NBA and Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden has been lambasted by Skip Bayless as the performances from the 76ers' superstar guard in the postseason have been heavily questioned by folks.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, co-host Skip Bayless spoke about how James Harden was a no-show in the second half against the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, as the 76ers desperately needed their superstar guard to carry the mantle in the absence of Joel Embiid. Skip Bayless said:
"He hid, he ran from the ball, he just tried to hide behind picks and it was hard to watch. It was unwatchable because he was unfindable in the second half. James Harden is officially washed. He’s unfixable, he’s unredeemable, he’s unsalvageable because he is not going to get suddenly any younger. It just looks to me like he just flat-out hit the wall. The age wall where he is not taking care of himself."
Harden had only 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists on the night, while shooting the ball less than 39% from the field and a paltry rate of 28.6% from beyond the arc.
"James Harden is officially washed."
— @RealSkipBayless on Harden's 16 Pts in 76ers' 106-92 loss to Heat https://t.co/OLdKgl4TFg
Is Skip Bayless right in calling James Harden washed?
James Harden had a terrific start to his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He had taken to the team like a duck to water. He has seamlessly gelled with the likes of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and has put up very good numbers with his new team. But his form has dipped over the last couple of weeks of the regular season and it has not seen an up-tick since the beginning of the postseason.
One of the greatest scorers the game has seen, James Harden was an unstoppable machine during his nine seasons with the Houston Rockets. However, he was also a great facilitator, and the Philadelphia 76ers need the perfect combination of both for their championship aspirations.
The 76ers shot 0-10 from 3-pt off James Harden's passes.
That was tied for the worst 3-pt shooting off a player's passes in the last 8 playoffs.
The Celtics shot 0-10 on threes off Isaiah Thomas' passes in 2016. https://t.co/eEs0gPx2u6
What makes Harden great is his ability to be the quintessential point guard and also a scoring machine who can excel in one-on-one situations. He has run the pick and roll with Joel Embiid incredibly well, and that will be the biggest offensive weapon for the 76ers this season.
However, James Harden has lost that first step in the quest to get past defenders when driving to the rim with hamstring injuries have resulted in The Beard losing his explosiveness.
The performances have fallen off drastically James Harden right at the most crucial stage of the season, and the 76ers are staring at a potential sweep by the Miami Heat without the services of Joel Embiid.