James Harden is one of the most talented NBA stars currently starting from his shooting, chance creation, ball handling and ability to deliver under pressure in the postseason. Overall Harden is a player who will instantly uplift any team’s offence with his exceptional ball-handling and shot creation.
But to have talent is different but to be successful in NBA is totally different. Despite having a lot of top of the lines skills, Harden has not won a single NBA Championship despite playing with some of the biggest stars in the league at the moment.
The Beard has recently left the Brookly Nets where he was accompanied by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. So now he has left the Nets and joined the Philadelphia 76ers to join Joel Embiid as the big centre is looking to win the title for the Sixers under Doc Rivers tutelage.
Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia has helped Embiid for now in more than one way. Now the focus is not totally on the big man so he can do his business with relative ease. On the latest episode of “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas,” NBA Champion Paul Pierce shared his thoughts on Harden working with his former coach, Doc Rivers.
“I grew with Doc. You know, see that was the thing. But the thing about James, I truly think he respects Doc. I don’t think he respects Steve Nash.”
A lot of people feels that the recent loss to Brooklyn Nets was just an aberration. Apart from that defeat, Harden has helped the scoring for the Sixers. The Beard has played a massive role in scoring in the last six matches out of eight games. The 76ers (41-25) are second in the East, just 2.5 games behind the league leaders – the Miami Heat (45-24).
Paul Pierce continued on Harden’s previous exploits and said how he has been in a similar situation in the past. Pierce added, “When I look at that, Embiid right now is the best being in the game, but I’m like, ‘If I had a chance to play with the talent Harden played with, I’d probably be walking out of here with five championships.’
The Celtics star shared how Harden has played with some of the reputed names in the NBA. He highlights how the Beard has played with players like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and others.
“I mean, he did play with Chris Paul, Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving and now you’re playing with Joel. Like, you played with all Hall of Famers, and that ain’t worked yet,” he concluded.
The trade has allowed Harden some scrutiny but his addition to the Sixers roster has uplifted performances of Tobias Haris and Tyrese Maxey. They just need to stick to their game plan as they are looking good with playoffs around the corner.