On two consecutive losses after taking a 3-0 advantage in their series against the Raptors, the Sixers put a spoke in the wheels as they know how to do so well. One of the symbols of the current galleys of Philadelphia? James Harden, more than ever the shadow of himself. And that necessarily, it is not too much to the taste of Joel Embiid…
15 points only, 4/11 in shooting, 5/6 in free throws, with 5 turnovers as a bonus. These are the numbers of the one who is supposed to help Embiid and the Sixers play for the title this year in the Eastern Conference. The one Daryl Morey bet on in exchange for Ben Simmons to maximize Philadelphia’s chances of going all the way. Two months after the honeymoon accompanying his first games under the colors of Philly, we can say that James Harden looks more and more like the James Harden Nets version which showed real signs of decline during the first part of the 2021 season. -22. Except that there, we cannot explain his poor performance by pointing the finger at the frustration linked to the Kyrie Irving situation or any other element that characterized the chaotic Brooklyn campaign. We can only see his difficulties in this series of the first round against the Raptors: Barely 18.4 points on average, 9.2 assists of course, but only 37.3% shooting success. For an all-time forward like Harden, that still looks a lot like the stats of a down guy. And even if it must be admitted that Toronto can pose problems for many people with its army of exteriors who combine athletic qualities and large size, we are entitled to expect better from the Barbu.
For Joel Embiid, it is above all a question of aggression, he who has trouble understanding how an attacker such as Harden can limit himself to only eleven shots in a playoff elimination match. So Jojo doesn’t hesitate to say things, while not forgetting to place one towards his coach Doc Rivers (via PhillyVoice)
“I’ve been saying it since he [Harden, ndlr.] arrived here, he must be aggressive and he must be himself. It’s not really my job, it’s more the coach’s job to talk to him and tell him to take more shots. Especially if they [les Raptors, ndlr.] keep defending on me in this way. […] When I was caught with two, we were not aggressive with the ball. We were just turning the ball inside the perimeter, and that allowed them to recover, and that’s why we didn’t manage to take advantage of it. »
Be aggressive and be yourself, okay. Shoot more and maybe worry less about distribution, ok. But is James Harden really capable of it today? Because that is the real question. When we see it evolving now, the Bearded man doesn’t seem to be able to make the difference in one-on-one as much as before. When he manages to get closer to the basket, he struggles a lot to conclude his drives. When he is well defended and he is resting on his step-back, we are more used to seeing bricks than strings. And when he tries to force things, turnovers tend to accumulate. We can continue to compare James Harden with the great Harden of Houston and say that he must do this, this, this or that, but at some point we will also have to face the facts and see that the Bearded man has abilities much more limited today. That doesn’t mean he only has to take eleven shots in a playoff game, just that he’s no longer the superstar he was when he starred at the Rockets.
James Harden has often been criticized for his cracks in the Playoffs. Today, it’s not really a crack that we are witnessing, but rather the continuity of what we have seen this season and especially during the last weeks of the regular. Yes, we all expect better from him. But here, we do not expect miracles.
Source texte : PhillyVoice
Embiid on Harden only taking 11 shots: « I’ve been saying all season since he got here, he needs to be aggressive and he needs to be himself. That’s not really my job, that’s probably on coach to talk to him and tell him to take more shots »
Full quote: pic.twitter.com/vc5WIpROLO
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) April 26, 2022
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