"They said you were the missing piece, they shipped out 3 guys to bring you in" - Shannon Sharpe questions how James Harden cannot feel any pressure ahead of the playoffs
When James Harden got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, they pushed all in to make a run at the championship. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey waited patiently in his trade efforts. Because of this, was able to land an elite talent to pair alongside MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid.
Getting Harden to Philly on Feb. 10 came at a price. Along with a disgruntled Ben Simmons, Morey also had to package Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first-round picks.
Once the deal became official, expectations for the Sixers went through the roof. They went from a competitive Eastern Conference team to a legitimate contender in the coming years. A lot of pressure was put on a group which had only 24 regular-season games to figure things out.
Despite all this, the Sixers never shied away from the bar being raised for them. They understand what's expected of them and are ready to make their mark.
Given how things played out, one player under a lot of pressure is Harden. While his arrival is what caused the Sixers to become contenders, he isn't buying into all the hype being brought up by analysts. On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," FS1's Shannon Sharpe talked about why Harden should feel the weight of expectation heading into the playoffs:
"They said you were the missing piece. They shipped out three guys to bring you in."
.@ShannonSharpe on James Harden not feeling pressure heading into the playoffs:
"How can you not feel the pressure when you know what's expected? The Sixers thought you were the missing piece. They shipped out 3 guys to bring you in." https://t.co/guyikjc2JH
James Harden can flip the script this postseason
Throughout his career, there has been a narrative around James Harden that he has come up short in the postseason. On top of this, he is the one Sixer most people will zero in on once the playoff action gets underway.
The fourth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers host the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors on Saturday and Monday in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
James Harden has something to prove and he shouldn’t hide from it!
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In this new situation, Harden has a chance to change the story of his playoff woes. This postseason, he will be flanked by someone who has a legitimate case to be the best player on the planet right now. The same could be said for Kevin Durant last year, but Harden's injury made him close to a nonfactor.
In previous years, Harden had to be "the guy" for his team. Now, that is not the case. He still has to aid Joel Embiid in leading the charge, but some of the pressure is being taken off his shoulders.
If Harden can come out and be a reliable second option, the story might start to change about the All-Star guard. Whether he wants to admit it or not, the pressure is going to be there to perform. The Sixers were in the spotlight all season, and now people will be watching to see if their home run swing was worth it.