So Harden is washed - huh? Stats say otherwise...

[bebopdeluxe]

Read on Twitter

Before Kyrie's jabroni on-again-off-again (which was happening primarily before KD got hurt), Harden's numbers were just fine. TS of close to 60% and getting to the line a lot. If Harden matches the numbers of those 20 games before Kyrie comes back, I think the Sixers will be just fine.

And - again - the numbers for those 20 games were alongside a high-usage KD. No reason Harden can't do those next to Embiid.

[UcanUwill]

He just had very slow start, where he was very overweight and adapting to new rule set.

[bebopdeluxe]

He just had very slow start, where he was very overweight and adapting to new rule set.

Good point - he did need a few games to adjust...but he eventually did. This is by no means to excuse Harden for his output when Kyrie came back, but it is clear that Kyrie's voluntary unavailability - especially after KD got hurt - really pissed Harden off.

[cupcakesnake]

The numbers certainly rebounded. He still looks a lot less explosive with his first step and looks a little more feeble around the rim. The hamstring issues are still bothering him, I think that's pretty clear. But also when KD went out, the Nets were so light on shooting. They were already without Harris. It's tough to play spread pick & roll when you're playing it with Bruce Brown and James Johnson. People were just packing the paint.

[Godymas]

He’s still really good, even when Harden is “slumping” he’s an All Star player. Last year he was still an MVP candidate. Injuries clearly slowed him but he will bounce back in Philly and next year he may come back and MVP player again.

[Bornstellar]

I don't think anyone thought he was "washed." Declining though, certainly. But given he was one of if not the greatest offensive player ever at his peak, a declining Harden is still a very, very good player

[jazzfan1971]

He is slowly declining. Definitely not washed. At least the stats aren't saying he is.

[bisme37]

I'm always thrown off by these threads where the OP disagrees with a comment in a different thread and then makes a new thread to yell at the whole board about it.

[Pantsman]

He’s not washed. But he’s declining and will want a super max in the offseason. That’s the issue.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Having a nice 10 game stretch doesn't mean hes back to he was.

No one is saying hes washed. Just that hes not the player he used to be.

You will find out soon enough.

[Karate Diop]

He's not washed, he was disinterested and progressively put forth less and less effort as his frustration built... He'll likely rebound in Philly, maybe not to the same heights as in Houston, but definitely enough to make the Sixers a true title contender and a title favorite.

[KGtabake]

Rockets fans were defending Harden for years.
Then, when he bailed they started cursing.

We had Celtics fans(including me) praising Kyrie and trying to defend him from all the criticism. Before we started cursing.

Then we had Nets fans complimenting Harden and Kyrie and defending them at all costs.
Before they started cursing.

Now we will have Sixers fans, defending and promoting Harden. Until he goes full Harden mode again (once he signs the extension)....you know how this will end.

Can't wait until these two clowns retire.

[KnicksGadfly]

He’s not washed. It basically goes like this:

1. New Jersey Nets fans love James Harden, insist that he’s going to be great and who cares that he was overweight and partying. Everyone else pointing this out is a hater.

2. Covid happens. Kyrie and Super homer New Jersey Nets fans blast the media for even insisting that Kyrie is causing locker room drama. Says Harden and Kyrie get along great and that they have the best big 3 ever. Would never trade Harden for Ben Simmons…that’s a trash trade!

3. Harden leaves cause of Kyrie. Uh oh lots of cognitive dissonance among the anti vaxxer and super homer New Jersey Nets community who can’t deal with the fact that their idol is causing problems…well, Harden sucks anyway!!! Harden is to blame for everything. Ben Simmons, what a perfect fit!!!!!

And to be fair, Harden does deserve a lot of blame and he has declined. But the refusal to place the majority of the blame in the rightful place is confusing to me.

[mademan]

Those 2 statlines arent really that far apart tho, lol. Harden isnt washed, he's just started declining like most players do in their early 30's.

[stormi]

Having a nice 10 game stretch doesn't mean hes back to he was.

No one is saying hes washed. Just that hes not the player he used to be.

You will find out soon enough.

He was your most consistently dominant player through a sea of injured stars and part time employees.

Read on Twitter

The team was 7-6 last year before he arrived, and have won at a 51 game pace when he's played without Kyrie and Durant.

Look at Kyrie now, he can't lead a team to a win to save his life without Durant and Harden.

[LAL1947]

I don't think anyone thought he was "washed." Declining though, certainly. But given he was one of if not the greatest offensive player ever at his peak, a declining Harden is still a very, very good player

This. He's still a very, very good player and play-maker... and will likely be for the next 2 years. My bone of contention with the Harden-Simmons trade is that Harden is declining... YET will need to be paid $45-50m per year for his next contract... AND they gave one of their top two competitors a 26 year old, All-Star level player in return... AND included Curry, Drummond to sort out their depth... AND then threw in two 1st round picks, giving back most of what the Nets had given away.

For me, the 76ers should have said "straight swap or nada"... but it's not my team, so I don't really care, except they've helped the Nets remain strong when they could've just let the Nets implode or self-destruct.

[76thBearCub]

I'm always thrown off by these threads where the OP disagrees with a comment in a different thread and then makes a new thread to yell at the whole board about it.

How do you still get thrown off by it when it happens every day. On this occasion it's also a lot more than one comment as well.

[stormi]

I don't think anyone thought he was "washed." Declining though, certainly. But given he was one of if not the greatest offensive player ever at his peak, a declining Harden is still a very, very good player

This. My bone of contention with the Harden-Simmons trade is that Harden is declining... AND will need to be paid $45-50m per year for his next contract... AND they gave one of their top two competitors a young, All-Star level player in return... AND included Curry, Drummond and two firsts.

For me, the 76ers should have said "straight swap or nada"... but it's not my team, so I don't really care. Well, I do care that they've helped the Nets remain strong when they could've just let the Nets implode or self-destruct.

Late first this year, worth about as much as the late first we had last year who's been buried in the G-League.

Curry, 31 year old role player
Drummond, backup center on a vet min

Second FRP in 2027, top 8 protected for two years and then coverts into seconds. No chance of a Billy King here.

And Ben Simmons who can't handle criticism and fled to his room to play video games and the first sign of adversity.

Also, Maxey and Thybulle retained who I was told had to be a staple in any Harden deal.

Steal for Morey tbh.

[Bornstellar]

Having a nice 10 game stretch doesn't mean hes back to he was.

No one is saying hes washed. Just that hes not the player he used to be.

You will find out soon enough.

He was your most consistently dominant player through a sea of injured stars and part time employees.

Read on Twitter

The team was 7-6 last year before he arrived, and have won at a 51 game pace when he's played without Kyrie and Durant.

Look at Kyrie now, he can't lead a team to a win to save his life without Durant and Harden.

You got the splits for games in which he played with Durant? Because the Nets are an elite team with KD so these numbers are cute but may not tell the whole story.

And besides, kind of irrelevant anyway considering it's not like they lost Harden and didn't replace him. They got an all star point forward and 2 rotation players out of it. So the tweet rebutall there pointing at win totals is dumb anyway

[Statlanta]

Counting stats does not equal impact, he is not a top 15 player by using catchall statistics and he's only 32.