2 min read • April 15, 2022
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When 76ers star shooting guard James Harden was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in mid-February, he sat the first four games.
That left hamstring injury also kept him out of his last four games with the Nets, but has not seemed to bother Harden during his 21 games with Philadelphia.
Entering the playoffs, the team of ProBasketballDocs, which includes former Bulls team doctor Dr. John Hefferon and orthopedic surgeon with NBA experience Dr. David Chao, don’t see his hamstrings as a concern going forward.
James Harden will go into the first round series against the Raptors with an SIC Health score of 92.
The ProBasketballDocs have never been overly concerned with Harden’s hearty hamstring, and the week off between his final regular season contest and first playoff game should do wonders for his speed and elusiveness.
Since March 5, Harden has missed just 3 games, all on back-to-backs.
Although Harden seems to be past his semi-recent hamstring strain, he does have a history of injuries in both legs.
The 2018 MVP was significantly limited by a Grade 2 right hamstring strain in 2021.
Harden missed three games after the Game 1 injury and turned in dismal performances in Games 5 and 7.
Despite his hamstrings at near full health recently, Harden has run into similar struggles in the final two months of the season.
His production has taken a massive dip since his first missed contest on March 5.
Harden is averaging 19.7 points and 7 rebounds on 13.9 shots over his last 17 games, posting shooting splits of .363/.291/.890 and scoring over 30 points only once. Overall in his 21 games with the 76ers , he's averaged his lowest scoring output since 2011 and shot a career-worst 32.6% from three.
He is averaging 10.5 assists with the 76ers, dishing 13-or-more in four of his final five games.
With Harden healthy, the 76ers will likely need that play-making ability night after night to make a deep run in the postseason.
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