James right now is trying to do everything we tell him to do, and I wanted to make sure he remembered who he was" -Doc Rivers highlights James Harden's importance to Philadelphia 76ers
Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves with a chance to compete for the 2022-23 NBA championship. After an impressive offseason from Daryl Morey, the roster is littered with talent around the team's core. The biggest move the Sixers have pulled off in the past year was trading for James Harden. Despite entering the lineup on the fly, the former MVP made an immediate impact.
In preparation for his first entire season in Philly, Harden worked diligently over the summer to make sure he was 100% ready mentally and physically. If the Sixers want to fulfill their championship aspirations, it will be on the backs of the team's star duo of Embiid and Harden.
Coach Doc Rivers recently sat down with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on "The Woj Pod" to discuss various topics. During the interview, the future Hall of Fame coach opened up on how vital the All-Star guard is to the team.
"Teams that cooperate with each other win, teams that don't, don't," Rivers said. "And you need each guy, and James is so important in that because James right now is trying to do everything we tell him to do, and I wanted to make sure he remembered who he was."
"We can win together as a team, and I thought that was very important. I literally say something to that effect every day to James because I think he's that important to this team."
Doc Rivers needs to keep pushing James Harden if 76ers want to contend
Over the years, Doc Rivers has proven he can work with star talent. He led the Celtics' big three to the title in 2008 and has coached countless star-filled rosters since then.
If the Philadelphia 76ers are going to make a deep playoff run, they will need James Harden to be himself.
During his brief stint with the team last year, Harden struggled to balance facilitating and scoring. That is something he will need to master this season if they want to succeed.
While Harden's elite-level passing and IQ have done wonders for Tyrese Maxey and the other Sixers, he also needs to get himself going. Come the postseason, he and Joel Embiid will be tasked with going toe-to-toe with numerous star duos.
Doc Rivers has a chance to add another championship to his resume this season, but to do so, he must maximize his stars.