If the 76ers plan on making it far in these playoffs, they're going to need James Harden at his absolute best.
Unfortunately, as Jalen Rose pointed out on NBA Countdown, Harden hasn't exactly been playing up to par lately. Averaging just 21 points on 40% shooting, Rose wasn't shy about demanding more from the 10x All-Star.
"For James Harden, his stats gotta look more like his MVP years in Houston where they were supersized. Now they look like concert tour dates. 4-15, 4-10, 4-13, 3-12. He on tour. He gonna need to ball..."
On his third team in two years, James Harden is facing a lot of pressure to lead the Sixers to a deep playoff run. On the surface, even with Harden struggling, they look capable of making noise. Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey all bring a lot to the table.
But it's Harden who will make or break this ball club. Unfortunately, he just hasn't stepped up to the plate so far.
"The solution is simple," said Shaquille O'Neal on Harden. "I wouldn’t have won my first championship if my other guy (Kobe) don’t average 28… They got another guy. They have a guy that has shown he can do that but hasn’t done that yet. First five games when they were on their honeymoon, he did that. But then he kind of faded. The solution is him. He gotta step up. Embiid is playing like an MVP, what you gonna do? I don’t know if he has the switch, I just know he needs to play at the superstar type level that we know he’s capable of. 15 assists is cool but you can’t go 3-12.”
Daryl Morey hit a home run when he swapped Ben Simmons for Harden. On any given night, the guy is capable of putting up 40 points and 10 assists.
But his struggles in Brooklyn and Philadelphia have some wondering if his best days are behind him. At 32-years-old, he appears to have slowed down in every way.
For the 76ers' sake, they better hope there's still something left in the tank.
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