Harden’s Debut against the Celtics

James Harden was a part of the most-talked-about trade of this season.

“The Beard '' left the Brooklyn Nets and became a part of the Philadelphia 76ers roster, where he will join forces with Joel Embid and hopefully try to make a title run. However, we still did not get the chance to witness Harden’s debut since there are some medical tests and procedures he needs to undergo before becoming eligible to play.

The hamstring issue was the reason for missing out on the last three games with Brooklyn. Still, Philly fans don't have to be worried because Harden should be able to heal pretty quickly from it and is expected to make his debut against Boston Celtics on Feb 16th in Wells Fargo Center.

During his time with the Nets, Harden did not meet all the expectations placed upon him, but one of the reasons for that might be that the ball was way less in his hands than what was expected back in Houston. Nonetheless, with a reduced number of shots per game, and the latest change of NBA foul rules, Harden was still able to put up solid statistics this – 22.5 points, 10.2 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game.

These numbers are nothing to be pessimistic about, considering that his former team's frontcourt was having problems due to a lack of a good centre – something Philly obviously won't have to worry about.

The unrealised high hopes from Brooklyn were used as an argument that Harden was not on top of his game anymore. Still, if we dive deep enough, it is easy to see why he was having a tough time trying to fit in their roster – their point guard Kyrie Irving was out for half of the games this season. Although the chemistry with Kevin Durant was still there from the OKC days, Harden is a natural-born leader who does not easily adjust to being second or even third scoring option on the team.

Now that the Ben Simmons situation is solved in Philly, the path is cleared for Harden to take over for the Sixers alongside Joel Embid. There is a high probability his numbers will increase by huge margins, considering that he is very comfortable running the offence.

The first test for him this season will be a match against the number 6 seed Boston Celtics and their star player Jason Tatum, who is averaging his best season so far. The defence Celtics are known for will be a good opportunity for Harden to showcase his offensive arsenal and prove that Philly made a good decision.

The Celtics are coming off a win against Atlanta Hawks, while the Sixers were able to defeat the Cavaliers in their latest matchup. When game night arrives, we will get the chance to see how much of an old “Houston Harden” is left, and if there are signs that all the elements will click for what now looks like a real promising team.

Suppose things happen to work out between Harden and the Philly organisation. In that case, he will be able to resign with them as a free agent in the summer, giving them a long-needed piece in their championship run, while potentially receiving a maximal $223 million contract. Regardless of what the future holds in the next couple of months, the fans will, without a doubt, be in for a treat this Wednesday night.