In his inaugural press conference as a member of the Clippers, James Harden opened up about his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he felt confined by his role alongside Joel Embiid.
The former MVP, renowned for his scoring prowess, discussed how his responsibilities in Philadelphia often limited his offensive output.
During his stint with the 76ers, Harden was asked to focus more on playmaking and distributing, a role that saw him lead the league in assists for a significant period. While he embraced the playmaking responsibilities, it came at the expense of his scoring output.
“Philly, is just changing my role, knowing I can give more, knowing I can do more, but if you want to be honest, like being on a leash, like me knowing in order for us to get where we want to get to I was going to have to be playing my best offensively whether it’s facilitating and scoring the basketball and Joel as well,” Harden admitted. “I never really had that opportunity.
“I think all that plays into where I am today where whatever the coaching staff needs me to do, I’ve been prepared and been in both situations whether me scoring 15, 16 points or scoring 30. As long as we win the game and everybody’s feeling confident and good about themselves, that’s all that really matters.”
