{"id":1508847,"date":"2022-05-13T10:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1508847"},"modified":"2022-05-13T10:40:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T14:40:02","slug":"philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-proved-why-hes-not-answer-with-single-play-against-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-proved-why-hes-not-answer-with-single-play-against-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia 76ers: James Harden Proved Why He's Not the Answer With a Single Play Against the Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/Philadelphia-76ers\/\">Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> traded for <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/James-Harden\/\">James Harden<\/a>, he was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle. The guard, in theory, was the lightning to Joel Embiid's thunder. Together, the two men could outscore anyone who stood in their way and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That, of course, didn't happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Thursday night, the Sixers crashed out of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, falling to the Miami Heat. While there will be plenty of autopsies floating around, it's worth zooming in on one single play from the fourth quarter. It might seem small, but, in that moment, Harden proved why he isn't the answer to Philadelphia's problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-james-harden-showed-his-inability-to-beat-a-defender-one-on-one-in-crunch-time\">James Harden showed his inability to beat a defender one-on-one in crunch time <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tim Legler nailed it. That first play is inexcusable. The second one says it all. Excellent analysis <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LegsESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LegsESPN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xodAgZKXEy\">https:\/\/t.co\/xodAgZKXEy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Kevin O&#39;Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinOConnorNBA\/status\/1524990009073205250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone mentions James Harden, you probably think of either a massive beard or an elite isolation scorer. While the guard may sport his signature facial hair, he's not the same offensive threat he once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point in his career, the Sixers guard is almost 33 years old. He's still capable of posting solid numbers, but his days of averaging more than 30 points per contest seem to be over. While you could argue there were some mitigating factors, Harden only posted 24.6 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign and 22.0 points per outing this season. At the risk of butchering the cliche, you are what your stats say you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything seemingly came home to roost in Game 6 against the Heat. Harden only took seven shots on the night and finished the season-ending contest with 11 points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the game, Tim Legler provided a breakdown of the guard's failings on ESPN. Although the Beard's lack of effort will probably steal most of the headlines, another play was telling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the start of the fourth quarter, Harden had the ball in a one-on-one situation on the perimeter. <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/james-harden-deteriorating-skill-reportedly-nba-worst-kept-secret\/\">At that point, he seemed utterly stuck<\/a> and unable to make anything happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This was telling to me,&#8221; Legler said. &#8220;This is pretty much James Harden at this stage of his career. This is what Embiid alluded to. You jab [step], there's no reaction on the part of the defender. None. [Victor Oladipo] actually stays up, he actually presses up into him on the jab step. [Harden] tries to go by him, nothing happens. You can kind of see, running in mud. Gets a chance to regroup. This was more telling. ...Oldipo reaches with his right hand. This should be a cross-over to [Harden's] strong hand and downhill. That's what James Harden was brought here to do. ... Harden has to get into the gap so that he can occupy these two [post defenders] on the backline and make a play for one of your two teammates. He just can't do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If that's who Harden is at this point, something will have to give <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/76ers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#76ers<\/a> Offseason Notables<br>\ud83d\udd3bCap Space: -$50M<br>\ud83d\udd3bTax Space: -$4M<br>\ud83d\udd3bDraft Picks: 0<br><br>Free Agents<br>\u25aa\ufe0f Paul Millsap<br>\u25aa\ufe0f DeAndre Jordan<br>\u25aa\ufe0f Myles Powell<br><br>Option<br>\u25aa\ufe0f James Harden, $47M player<br>\u25aa\ufe0f Shake Milton, $2M club<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oTqa1TpWHV\">https:\/\/t.co\/oTqa1TpWHV<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Spotrac (@spotrac) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/spotrac\/status\/1524925646111113229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As Legler alluded to, Joel Embiid said that Harden isn't the same dominant scorer he was in Houston. While it's striking to hear the 76ers main man publicly say that, everyone else needs to accept that reality and change something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although you could charitably write off the second half of this season as a period of growing pains, the loss to the Heat suggests that Philly's current roster isn't good enough. We know Embiid will be back; if we take Harden at his word, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/james-harden-eases-minds-76ers-fans-worrisome-47-4-million-decision\/\">he'll also be returning to the City of Brotherly Love<\/a>. If those two contracts remain on the team's books, something else will have to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One theory, which was floated by Zach Lowe in February (h\/t <a href=\"https:\/\/nba.nbcsports.com\/2022\/02\/17\/rumor-james-harden-could-decline-player-option-to-allow-76ers-to-open-max-cap-space\/\">NBC Sports<\/a>), would see Harden declining his option to sign a cheaper contract. That, combined with a hypothetical deal to get Tobias Harris off the books, would allow the 76ers to land another star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While that's possible, there are some logistical concerns. Is Harden willing to give up both money and touches to chase a championship? Can Daryl Morey actually clear the cap space? Would anyone available this summer be able to make the difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, other potential solutions come with caveats. The Sixers could change their head coach, but no amount of strategy can help Harden regain a missing step. With that being said, though, some tactical tweaks, like allowing Harden to shift into somewhat more of an off-ball role, rather than having to beat his man off the dribble to make anything happen, could help. It remains to be seen, however, how the guard would respond to that change. He's always had the ball in his hand and even retained the point guard role when playing alongside Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"James Harden has to reinvent himself! - Jalen Rose reacts to the 76ers&#039; Game 2 loss | Jalen &amp; Jacoby\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jpRaBrX-ORs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, Harden can take it on himself to improve. While it's not the perfect comparison, Chris Paul seemed like a fading, disgruntled star during his time in Houston but put in the work to reinvent himself. He rebounded in Oklahoma City and is now a key part of the Phoenix Suns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It's not clear, however, if Harden wants to change. We can't know what's going on in the guard's head, but his outward behavior hasn't been the most encouraging. He's been criticized for being out of shape &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/insider\/insider\/story\/_\/id\/33719050\/lessons-brooklyn-nets-controversy-filled-season-superteam-era-over\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ESPN's<\/a>\u00a0Kevin Arnovitz reported that Kevin Durant was upset with his then-teammate's conditioning &#8212; and the bearded one has made a habit of leaving town when things don't go his way. Changing at age 32 requires effort and humility. Can Harden take that step back and admit that things need to be different moving forward? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, no one has the answers. One thing, however, is pretty clear: Something will have to give if the Philadelphia 76ers expect next season to be any different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Stats courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Basketball-Reference<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/philadelphia-76ers-mailbag-james-harden-future-joel-embiid\/\">Philadelphia 76ers Mailbag: Breaking Down James Harden's Future, Joel Embiid Cheesesteak Comparisons, and More<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you've wondered what's gone wrong with James Harden in Philadelphia, a single play on Thursday night provided a perfect explanation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":1508860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4854,4821],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - 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He covers the NBA and soccer for Sports7, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history \u2014 likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center \u2014 he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope \u2014 both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.","sameAs":["","JoeKozlowski_","","",""],"jobTitle":"Joe Kozlowski | Sports7 Writer","email":""}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508847"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1508847"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1508871,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1508847\/revisions\/1508871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1508860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1508847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1508847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1508847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}