NBA Rumors: It’s starting to appear as if James Harden is going to make his return to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup soon.
After sitting out the first three games of the Philadelphia 76ers, as he continues to ramp up toward a potential return to the floor, it seems as if game No. 4 could be the exact moment that we see James Harden make his season debut. Unless something changes between now and Thursday night, it seems that after an offseason of trade rumors, Harden is going to, at the very least, start the season playing for the Sixers.
Harden may very still want a trade out of Philadelphia but without much of a trade market, especially now that the LA Clippers have removed themselves from trade conversations with the Sixers again, it’s become increasingly unlikely that Harden is going to be traded anytime soon, if at all.
According to a recent report, Harden is expected to return to practice with the Sixers on Tuesday and then after that, his playing status for Thursday night will be determined. It seems like if all goes well on Tuesday at practice, Harden is going to be back in the Sixers’ lineup when they take on the Toronto Raptors at home.
There’s a path toward the Philadelphia 76ers salvaging this season?
The good news for the Sixers is that they’re sitting in a good position either way. Through the first three games without Harden in the lineup, the Sixers have fared just fine. In fact, I’d say that there’s optimism around this team even if Harden does end up being traded at some point this season.
But if the Sixers can change Harden’s attitude toward playing for this team this season, perhaps this is a team that could push the Boston Celtics and/or Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference after all.
It seems as if Tyrese Maxey has made another jump in his progression this season. Through the first few games of the season, Maxey is averaging 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 56 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Joel Embiid has also picked up where he left off last season, as he’s averaging 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists per game himself.
With the way the Sixers have played so far this season, it would be a huge boost to the team if they could keep a player like Harden on the team. The question is, what will Harden do next?