76ers superstar James Harden had a very noteworthy season debut.
Harden needed just 14 attempts to score a game-high 35 points, and he was 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. This was a significant improvement from the last time we saw Harden on the floor. Harden’s lack of scoring burst was problematic, and the footage of his final on-court performance was beyond concerning.
The former MVP admitted that he “wasn’t right” last season but after an offseason diet, he looked like the old version of himself on Tuesday. That means that he has returned to quarterbacking his offense at a high level.
But it also means that he is far more involved in the offensive attack than anyone else on his team. As noted by Micah Adams, Harden recorded more dribbles than everyone else on Philadelphia’s roster combined.
If you watched the 76ers and it felt like A LOT of Harden pounding the rock, trust your eyes.
James Harden dribbled 525 times in Game 1.
Next highest on Philly? Tyrese Maxey with 184.
Harden dribbled more times than the rest of the 76ers combined (411).
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) October 19, 2022
Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Harden had a game-high 7 assists, and he shot the ball efficiently. It is, however, not insignificant and indicative of Harden’s heliocentric offensive tendencies.
But how does that compare to how he was previously used? After he was traded to the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 449 dribbles per game. In fact, Harden dribbled more frequently than all players in the NBA except for Luka Doncic (486) and Trae Young (479) last season.
So while his offensive load was massive against Boston, it wasn’t too out of the ordinary. The bigger surprise was that Harden recorded just 318 dribbles in his final postseason appearance last year. That was more aligned with what we saw from Maxey (224) during the elimination game.
I’ve been more involved in Philly’s offense than Maxey tonight
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 19, 2022
The performance against the Celtics was a welcome return to normalcy for Harden, though his ball dominance was not without consequences. Harden was cooking, but it may have come at the cost of Maxey and Joel Embiid.
In fact, Embiid recorded just 3 paint touches during the entire game.
76ers head coach Doc Rivers has an embarrassment of riches with Harden, Embiid, Maxey, and Tobias Harris. But in order for them to have much of their desired success in the postseason, they may need to share the wealth a bit more evenly.
I get wanting to have one of Harden or Embiid on the floor at all times, but it might make sense to give Tyrese Maxey some run as the No. 1 option for stretches.
— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) October 19, 2022
I don’t think it’s a good idea to take the ball out of Harden’s hands as he is both an incredible playmaker and scorer. Perhaps the answer is to stagger the minutes so that Maxey is piloting the second unit.
We don’t have much of a sample size to evaluate after just one game, and the early returns are promising for Harden’s stat line. The candidacy for him to earn All-NBA consideration or even win the scoring title. But more likely than not, the Sixers will need as much of a contribution from Embiid as they got from Harden.
However, the jury is still out about whether or not this style of basketball can get it done in the playoffs. They certainly have enough talent to win a title, though they will need as dynamic of an attack as possible on offense to win it all.
