Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Over the past couple of seasons, Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden has seemingly lost a step.
While he’s still produced at an All-Star level, he isn’t the same player he was when he won three straight scoring titles earlier in his career.
Still, he averaged 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game last season for the 76ers after getting traded by the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden recently blasted his haters and said that he doesn’t really listen to what people are saying about him.
“I don’t really listen to what people are saying,” Harden told Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports. “I wasn’t right last season, and I still almost averaged a triple-double. If anybody else had those numbers, we’d be talking about them getting the max. People were used to seeing me averaging 40, 30 points, and so they viewed it as a down year. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months and I had to learn on the fly. That’s just what it was. I’m in a good space physically and mentally right now, and I’m just looking forward to next season.”
The 10-time All-Star certainly makes a strong point. NBA fans grew accustomed to Harden putting up otherworldly numbers during his time with the Houston Rockets. Of course, his role changed when he was dealt to the Nets during the 2020-21 campaign.
The Arizona State University product seems highly motivated to reach another level during the 2022-23 season. He and the 76ers were unable to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season, as they lost to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in six games in the second round of the playoffs.
Harden is surely hoping that some of the 76ers’ offseason additions will help the team make it even further this season. P.J. Tucker, who spent last season with the Heat, and Danuel House are just two of the players the 76ers have acquired this offseason.
Only time will tell what the upcoming campaign has in store for Harden, but it seems like he’s ready to take on whatever challenge gets sent his way.
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