
James Harden has been criticized for his lack of offensive output with the 76ers and him not showing up when he needs to. But the superstar has gotten back to playing great basketball after the Brooklyn Nets debacle. James Harden had 24 points and 12 assists in the win against the Dallas Mavericks today. With that, he became the only 76er since Allen Iverson (AI) who has had 3 consecutive games with 20+points and 10+ assists according to Sixer Stats.
This is @sixers @JHarden13's third straight game with at least 20 points and 10 assists.
That's the longest such streak by a 76er since @alleniverson did so in three straight from April 8-14, 2005.
h/t @Stathead
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) March 19, 2022
James Harden has become a great facilitator of basketball ever since he joined the Nets last season. His offensive prowess cannot be ignored and allows his teammates, especially Joel Embiid to get open shots. The 76ers have great hopes for a championship run this season. Bringing in James Harden was a huge part of that hope. If Harden can be consistent and show up in games when it matters the most, Philadelphia is one of the top teams that can contend for an NBA championship.
The 76ers are currently the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and are just half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Tim Legler from ESPN said that the hype around this team in Philadelphia is more than the Allen Iverson team in 2000 when the 76ers got to the Finals. The 76ers have the potential but there are also obstacles that they face as a team and an organization.
There are 2 major issues for the 76ers. Firstly, the fact that Harden does not show up in important games. If the same thing continues to happen, teams can just double team Embiid without fearing any other player on the court. The second issue is the lack of depth. With the Harden trade, Philly lost depth at the Center position and a shooter. With Andre Drummond and Seth Curry gone, can the team rely on Deandre Jordan and Georges Niang to pick up the slack?