Tobias Harris Speaks On James Harden’s Return To 76ers

After the Philadelphia 76ers failed to trade star guard James Harden this summer, Harden went off on management, calling executive Daryl Morey a “liar.”

It was rumored that Harden wouldn’t even report to training camp, but he was on the court with his teammates on Wednesday as they prepared for the start of the new NBA season.

According to forward Tobias Harris, Harden had a positive and constructive attitude at practice, per Kyle Neubeck.

Tobias Harris on Harden: “He’s here and his attitude and energy today allowed everybody to understand that he wants to go out there and compete with us” pic.twitter.com/wURjzXPCVC

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) October 4, 2023

As long as Harden is still a Sixer, he will need to be focused, productive, and team-oriented if the team is to get over the hump and seriously contend for a world championship.

The team hasn’t been to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 and hasn’t won it all since 1983, despite the presence of Harden and reigning regular-season MVP Joel Embiid.

Harden opted into the final year of his contract when the offseason began, and he will be owed over $35 million, which would seem to complicate trading him if Philly does decide to revisit moving him at some point this year.

Even if he isn’t what he was a few years ago when he led the league in scoring for three straight seasons, he’s still a highly viable player, as he was first in the NBA with 10.7 assists a game last season.

He also put up 21.0 points per contest while improving his efficiency by shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point range.

Many are sleeping on the Sixers after the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics added Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, respectively, in the last week, but they still have the talent to make some serious noise in the playoffs.

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Insider Shares Details Of James Harden’s First Day Back With 76ers