PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 29: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates after ... [+] scoring during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center on March 29, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Since acquiring James Harden at the NBA trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers have been surprisingly inconsistent on a game-to-game basis. They go from holding their own against championship contenders like the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks to playing down to lottery-bound teams such as the Detroit Pistons.
Much of that inconsistency stems from Harden himself, who has been a far cry from the player who led the NBA in scoring for three straight seasons a few years ago.
In 19 games with the Sixers, Harden is averaging 21.4 points on 40.7 percent shooting overall and 33.6 percent from three-point range. He's racking up 9.2 free-throw attempts per game and knocking them down at an 88.5 percent clip, but he'd be averaging only 13.2 points per game if not for those repeated trips to the charity stripe.
Free throws have long been a critical part of what has made Harden such a difficult cover over the past decade. His ability to create off the dribble and draw contact on drives often forces defenders into no-win decisions.
However, whether due to the effects of age or a lingering hamstring injury, Harden may need to rethink his offensive approach heading into the playoffs.
Harden is the living embodiment of team president Daryl Morey's longstanding offensive philosophy, which tends to prioritize close-range shot attempts and three-pointers rather than mid-range jump shots. Of Harden's 258 field-goal attempts to date with the Sixers, 128 have been from three-point range and 80 have been within five feet of the basket. Only 13 of the 258 have been from the mid-range.
That's in line with his past averages. Only 19 of his 734 shot attempts were from the mid-range last year with the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, while 250 were within five feet and 334 were from three-point territory. In 2019-20, he attempted only 20 mid-range shots out of more than 1,500 total shot attempts.
Sixers center Joel Embiid is far more varied in his offensive approach. More than one-quarter of his overall shot attempts383 of 1,295, to be precisehave been from the mid-range, and he's shooting 42.0 percent on those looks. The Sixers don't necessarily need Harden to become a high-volume mid-range shooter when they have a 7-foot MVP candidate who can knock those shots down at an impressive clip.
The bigger concern for Harden is his relianceor perhaps overrelianceon his step-back jumper.
Eighty-six of Harden's 128 three-point attempts with the Sixers have been step-backs, but he's shooting only 32.6 percent on those. Last season, he shot 77-of-199 (38.7 percent) on his step-back three-pointers, and he went 191-of-517 (36.9 percent) on step-back triples during his final full season with the Houston Rockets in 2019-20.
The step-back is Harden's signature shot, but he shouldn't have to lean on it nearly as often as he has so far in his Sixers tenure. The entire point of teaming up with a star like Embiid and complementary players such as Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris is to create easier looks for everyone.
Only 12 of Harden's 43 made threes as a Sixer and 15 of his 62 two-pointers have been assisted to date. He's averaging 1.11 points per possession on isolations over that span, which ranks in the 91st percentile leaguewide, but those constitute more than 35 percent of his total shot attempts.
The difference is even more stark when comparing his volume of pull-up attempts to catch-and-shoot looks. He's 35-of-105 (33.3 percent) on pull-up three-pointers since joining the Sixers, while he's 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) on catch-and-shoot treys.
This isn't a new issue, either. In 2019, Bo Schwartz Madsen of Nylon Calculus charted out the evolution of Harden's three-point shooting over the years, which went from a majority of catch-and-shoots early in his Rockets tenure to mostly off-the-dribble attempts during his later years in Houston.
After the Sixers' recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Harden is still adjusting to shooting off the catch more often.
"The ball swings," Rivers said. "Hes never had that where hes getting the ball swung to him, and he rarely shoots them. So, he'll get used to that. He spent a ton of time after practice today working on spot-up shots. And he was laughing. He said, I havent had a spot-up swing in ever. So now hes getting them and thats good, because hes a great shooter. Itll work out for him.
Harris went through a similar offensive shift after Harden's arrival and struggled at first, but he's since found his rhythm as a safety valve.
I feel like theyre rotating to me, so the swing-swing opportunity is there," Harden said after the Bucks loss. "But thats something I do have to get used to, being ball-dominant for so many years now. A guy like Jo gets double-teamed in the post and the ball gets swung to me, sometimes Ive got to shoot it. So Ill watch film and try to get better as time goes on.
If Harden's hamstring is limiting his burst, mixing in a higher volume of catch-and-shoot attempts could keep defenses more off-balance. They'll likely live with him dribbling aimlessly and draining the shot clock before launching a desperation step-back three to beat the buzzer, as that keeps the ball out of Embiid's hands.
The Sixers have only three more games to build those habits before the playoffs begin. They're likely going to remain a work in progress throughout the playoffs. But the more that Harden varies up his offensive approach, the more it should free up both he and his teammates for easier looks.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac.
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James Harden Needs To Vary His Shot Diet With The Sixers - Forbes
