The Sixers have certainly gotten off to better starts than they have this year. The Sixers are currently 4-6 and have already had some pretty bad losses, including Friday’s game against the Knicks where they collapsed down the stretch.
We found out last week after watching James Harden hobble off the court, that the team will be without him for the foreseeable future. Harden suffered a right foot tendon strain that will cause him to miss at least the next month.
ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has suffered right foot tendon strain and is expected to miss a month. pic.twitter.com/LHEIucfbFj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2022
Harden took a pay cut this offseason and resigned with the Sixers at a discount to allow them to put pieces around himself and co-star Joel Embiid. While the Sixers certainly have a good team on paper, they have yet to put it together through the first ten games of the season.
The 33 year old has looked much better to start the year despite the team underperforming. Harden has clearly come into this season with a clear dedication to winning, something that we have never seen him do. So with that being said, what are the Sixers going to do without Harden?
The loss of the former MVP will really hurt, it causes this Sixers team to miss some crucial time when they would typically be growing together. We saw firsthand last year when Harden came over at the trade deadline how important cohesion on the floor is and the less time the trio of Harden, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey are on the floor together, the less they will gel.
On top of that, the team is already off to a bad start after their first ten games. The Sixers now will need to really lean on Maxey and Embiid to keep them relevant in an extremely tough Eastern Conference.
On the bright side, this injury occurred eight games into the season. While the Sixers big three will miss time together, they should still have time to work together from December on assuming there are no other major injuries. If Harden stays in shape and Embiid and Maxey remain healthy while carrying the team for the next month, things should be fine.
Photo via Steven M. Falk – Philadelphia Inquirer
