Photo: Michael Reaves
Dan Patrick: "You keep waiting for Harden to be Harden, and I think that's fool's gold. You can look at how he is being officiated, but if I am going to use that, then I have to look at how Trae Young was officiated, because they both benefitted from drawing contact. Well, Trae Young led the league in points scored this year. He didn't have a drop-off. James Harden is just out of shape. He's been out of shape. He came in to the season with the Rockets out of shape. He wasn't in shape with the Nets. KD famously said 'he doesn't have the explosion.' No, he looks like he is going to explode because he is overweight! He is out of shape. And you see this now, because James Harden should be a guy who's averaging 35 points a game. But if you're going to get 21, 22 points on the season... if I'm Philadelphia, do I want to pay $50 million for that? I feel like I can get that anywhere. James Harden has to step up. He's 32, he looks 42."
Dan Patrick reacts to James Harden's lackluster shooting performance in the 76ers' Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat. Dan explains why Harden's tenure in Philadelphia thus far has been a disappointment, and fans should adjust their expectations of the formerly elite scorer.