The Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden last season with the expectation that he and Joel Embiid would compete for a championship.
That didn’t end up happening.
Philly advanced no further with Harden in tow than they did previously with Ben Simmons – prompting many to wonder if perhaps they made a bad deal.
This week, Harden addressed precisely what went wrong last season.
“I’m looking to have an unbelievable season,” he said recently, per the Associated Press. “I don’t want to just go out there and be running around and not being efficient and looking old out there.
“I still want to be really, really, really good…I wasn’t able to get in my spots and get to where I needed to get to without thinking about it, so that right there slowed my confidence down. It was craziness, but I’m finally back. I’ll be a lot more aggressive scoring-wise just because my body allows me to.”
Harden’s numbers with the Sixers last season were his worst in a decade – so it certainly makes sense that he would want to improve.
Fortunately, it appears as though he is taking the steps necessary to do just that.
Harden has already undergone an incredible body transformation this summer. Beyond that, he also took less cash to re-up with the 76ers (even though there are some conspiracy theories regarding that) and is hanging out with his girlfriend more instead being out clubbing.
Clearly the former league MVP wants to shake up the narrative surrounding him these days.
The best way to do that, though? Winning a championship.
Zach Wilson finally addressed it. https://t.co/XXmxxg7uqu
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 28, 2022
One honor has eluded Harden throughout his otherwise illustrious career, and that’s winning an NBA title.
Will he be able to get it done in 2022-23?
Time will tell.
Related: Zach Wilson’s Blunt Reaction To Sleeping With Mom’s Friend Rumors
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
