As the Philadelphia 76ers continue their Round 1 series with the Toronto Raptors with Game 6 looming on Thursday back in Canada, the focus has been the play of James Harden.
The Beard has been a dynamic playmaker averaging 9.2 assists through the first five games of this series. He has done an excellent job of getting his teammates involved and he has been terrific in terms of running the offense.
However, the Sixers need him to be aggressive with his scoring and that has been a bit of an issue in this series. Harden is averaging 18.4 points, but he’s shooting only 37.3% from the floor and Philadelphia has not been able to get him going.
Harden’s trainer, Paul J. Fabritz, took questions on his Instagram story and he was asked about working with Harden. His answer was interesting as he brought up the hamstring injury and how he did not have a normal summer before the 2021-22 season which could be the cause of his down play for the Sixers.
It remains to be seen if Harden can still be that elite scorer he was for the Houston Rockets when he led the league in scoring three times and won an MVP award in 2018. Either way, for Philadelphia to close out the Raptors and go deep into the playoffs, they will need him to go back into the scoring well out on the floor.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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