(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
After his summer of discontent, James Harden is back with the Philadelphia 76ers, and even if things aren’t copacetic between him and the organization, he did practice with his teammates during day two of training camp.
The team had agreed to trade him early in the offseason after he had opted into the final year of his contract, but several weeks later, after failing to find a trade partner, it announced it wouldn’t send him elsewhere.
New 76ers head coach Nick Nurse says that Harden was focused and did well during practice, per Keith Pompey.
#Sixers coach Nick Nurse on James Harden: pic.twitter.com/7ZcRU24OsI
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 4, 2023
Maybe Harden will still be traded, maybe he won’t, but one practice session won’t be enough to erase the bad feelings he reportedly has for management.
After it was decided the Sixers wouldn’t look to trade him anymore, he called executive Daryl Morey, who has been his executive for years dating back to their years together on the Houston Rockets, a “liar,” and there were reports he wouldn’t show up for training camp.
If Harden will indeed be focused and locked in from here on out, Philly could have at least a puncher’s chance at reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.
Center Joel Embiid is coming off a career year in which he won his first regular-season MVP and led the league in scoring for the second year in a row, while incoming fourth-year guard Tyrese Maxey is on the rise.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics may have better overall rosters, but anything is possible in today’s NBA.
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