B/R gives James Harden a ‘C’ grade for his play in Sixers’ win over Nets
On paper, Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden had a very productive first round series against the Brooklyn Nets. The Beard averaged 17.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, but he did have some trouble finishing and shooting the ball in general.
Overall in the series, Harden shot just 34.3% from the floor and he shot only 24% at the rim. The 42.4% shooting from deep is something the Sixers will definitely take, but he has got to shoot the ball at a higher clip, especially at the rim, moving forward.
Bleacher Report gave out some grades for the Round 1 action and Harden received a C grade for his performance against the Nets:
The Sixers have managed to live without Harden’s scoring, in part because Tyrese Maxey has looked so good. (And in part because Brooklyn just doesn’t have enough talent to match up.) But Philly’s biggest question all season has been whether Harden would finally deliver in the playoffs. He has done very little to quiet that concern.
As B/R has pointed out, they can live without Harden’s scoring against the Nets. In the East semifinals in a likely matchup with the Boston Celtics, he will have to be better. The Sixers will need him to perform at a higher level in order to move forward.
