“I'm talking about the James Harden we saw in Houston, that brother is no more” - Stephen A. Smith believes Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard is way past his best
ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith believes that Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is way past his best. Harden has had an underwhelming campaign so far, and a change of scenario with his midseason trade to the Sixers hasn't seen his performances improve, either.
Harden averaged 22 points and 10 assists per game this season, shooting only 41% from the floor, including 33% from the 3-point range. His production has been decent, but not up to the standards he has set for himself. However, age is catching up with the former Houston Rockets star.
He lost the explosiveness he possessed until last season before he sustained a hamstring injury during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Speaking about the importance of James Harden's performance to the Philadelphia 76ers' title aspirations, ESPN's Stephen A Smith highlighted that the "Beard" is a shadow of the player he once was before he sustained last year's hamstring injury.
Here's what Smith said while he was on the sidelines reporting duty during the Philadelphia 76ers-Toronto Raptors Game 4 contest on Saturday (via ESPN):
"James Harden looks done, and I don't need Jalen Rose's glasses to tell me that. Let's just get it out of the way right now. And what I mean by done, he's not a scrub, he can still play, he can average over 20 and eight for you. That's not what I mean when I say he's done. I'm talking about the James Harden we saw in Houston, that brother is no more."
Stephen A Smith says James Harden's struggles puts the onus on Joel Embiid to perform and deliver the goods for Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers traded for James Harden in exchange for Ben Simmons to capitalize on Joel Embiid's MVP-caliber year, which could lead to them winning the NBA title this year itself. The Sixers got off to a hot start with Harden, winning their first five games in style in his presence.
However, Harden's performance dipped after that. He failed to deliver the goods efficiently, especially with his scoring as he shot below 40% from the field. The 2018 NBA MVP hasn't had any significant impact scoring-wise in the playoffs, either.
James Harden is now 1-for-6 on 2-point shots today, and is 10-for-30 on them in this series.
Presuming Philly is able to advance, and presuming the 76ers play Miami, a huge part of that series is going to be Harden proving he can score inside the arc against Miami's elite D.
This isn't a worrying sign at the moment because the Sixers are up 3-1 against the Raptors, but it could be when they potentially square off against a contender like the Miami Heat in the next round. Stephen A. Smith believes if Harden continues to struggle, the pressure will be on Joel Embiid to deliver the goods consistently for the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward. Here's what Smith said regarding this:
"He (Harden) hasn't been the same since the hamstring injury, he doesn't look like he's really healthy, and as a result, it puts even more onus on Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid, I watched the game, the bottom line is, he isn't a 100% healthy. He's gonna play, but we need him to be the Joel Embiid, and he can't do it against Miami, they're (76ers) not going to the Conference Finals."
The Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of concerns to deal with, especially related to their two All-Stars. James Harden is out of form, while Joel Embiid is playing through a suspected ligament tear in his thumb. That said, it makes it important for the former to step up and rediscover his mojo soon as that could bolster the 76ers' chances of making the Conference Finals this year.