(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers just finished with the third-best record in the NBA this season, and many feel they have a real shot at winning it all.
A big reason why has been the play of James Harden, who had a rather strong season by averaging 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists a game.
Those 10.7 assists a game gave him the league’s assist title, and it made him the first player ever to win at least three scoring titles and two assist titles.
Add another assist title to the Beard’s unparalleled shot-creation resume! pic.twitter.com/JDZFHCAOId
— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2023
Just a few years ago, Harden went on a multi-year scoring tear that seemed to rival anything Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ever did.
He led the NBA in scoring for three straight seasons, and he topped out at 36.1 points per contest during the 2018-19 campaign, which was the highest average any player had put up since the mid-1980s.
But Harden has also been a big-time distributor, and when he was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets two seasons ago, he shaved some of his scoring and took on a full-time distributor role for the good of his team.
That role continued this season with Philly, but he also bounced back from a dismal 2021-22 season in terms of efficiency.
That year, he shot just 41.0 percent overall and 33.0 percent from 3-point range, and he was able to boost those numbers to 44.1 and 38.5 percent, respectively, this season.
With Harden dropping dimes and scoring when needed, this may be the best chance the Sixers have had at winning the world championship since the last time they did so in 1983.
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