"He's becoming an old man right before your very eyes" - Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe claim that age has finally started to catch up with James Harden
Skip Bayless has taken shots at James Harden by stating that the former MVP has started to look old after his recent performances. The 32-year-old is not in the best of form and has scored only 14 and 22 points for the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, respectively.
He started his stint in Philly with a string of big performances but did not match up to the same level to end the season or in the two playoff games. Bayless, who has the most firm takes in basketball, did not back down from stating how James Harden was declining from the star that he was.
Speaking about the ten-time All-Star, Bayless said on 'The Undisputed':
"He's starting to look old to me, it's like he's becoming an old man right before your very eyes and I see Chris Paul almost 37 just take over a game in the fourth quarter."
"James Harden is starting to look old to me. He's becoming an old man right before your very eyes."
— @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/Tx4VmyLZH6
Bayless and Shannon Sharpe offered high praise to youngster Tyrese Maxey. He is certainly deserving of all the appreciation, but despite his exploits, both men had questions about the 76ers' road ahead. Speaking of the whole situation, Bayless said:
"I've loved Tyrese Maxey and if you remember I thought back to you, I said, 'You cannot include Tyrese Maxey in any trade to bring in James Harden' and they managed not to do include him and I love his guts and I love his style and I love the energy that he plays with and he just plays with the flare, he is just fearless and I love that about him. But to your point, if you are going to go places it has to be Harden and Embiid and not Maxey and Embiid."
.@JalenRose really said James Harden's stats look like concert tour dates 😅 https://t.co/4CVF4pvwYp
Can James Harden find his form for the Philadelphia 76ers?
James Harden is one of the most prolific scorers in the league. Over the years, he has also developed into becoming a stellar passer. His entry into the 76ers excited a lot of Philly fans as Harden and Embiid were believed to be the duo that would change the fortunes of the franchise.
James harden vs Raptors today
•41 min
•14 points
•6 reb
•6 assists
•3 steals
•2 blocks
•+17
Sixers take a 2-0 series win over raptors https://t.co/umTAIRFlv7
Initially, the duo did live up to all the hype, but as games went by, James Harden lost his spark. The 32-year-old averaged 17.9 PPG in his last ten games and looked a shadow of himself since his starting days in Philly.
THIS PASS FROM HARDEN AND REVERSE BY MAXEY 😱 https://t.co/C29ztgrrsX
Harden has been criticized by many for his performances, but with the 76ers having won two of their games against the Raptors, a whole lot of focus has not been on him. Joel Embiid has been playing well, but if the team are to make a deep playoff run, James Harden will have to be at his best.
He already has a reputation of going cold in the playoffs and this could be the perfect opportunity for him to change that. If Embiid, Maxey and Harden play together at their potential best, the 76ers will certainly be a team to watch out for in the East.