The James Harden trade fiasco is still going on and amid all of this, he has joined training for the Philadelphia 76ers. Therefore Tyrese Maxey credited him for being a thorough professional even when he was going through so much with the trade scenario.
Maxey lauded the former NBA MVP for handling the situation brilliantly and giving his all in training despite so much uncertainty regarding his future with the Sixers.
Speaking to JJ Reddick’s ‘The Old Man and the Three’ podcast, Maxey credited Harden for keeping problems aside.
“First of all, Imma give a shoutout to James. He didn’t make it weird at all. He came in, and he was very, like, not what I was expecting. He was very receptive. He worked hard. He did all the drills. He was talking to even young guys that he didn’t know,” Maxey revealed.
He also shared that Harden was helping players like Ricky Council, who is on a two-way contract with the Sixers. So it was shocking for Maxey as Harden was completely being himself despite all his problems.
“James Harden, MVP, scoring champ, two-time assist leader, he’s sitting there talking to guys like Ricky Council, ‘Hey, when you help, you should do this.’ It’s not what I was picturing,” Maxey added.
Earlier, Harden had missed the media day and the first day of the training session which led to speculations that there would be more drama. Harden has submitted a trade request and is forcing the Sixers to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers, which is his preferred destination.
Sixers have played two preseason games and none of them had Harden. The team management wants Harden to feature in the third one to have some idea of where he stands in terms of fitness. At the moment, he is working hard in training to get back in shape.
New head coach Nick Nurse was asked about Harden’s absence from preseason games and he shared that it is important for him to understand what his rotation will be before heading into their opening match against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“For sure. “It’s important to get everybody in as soon as they get ready to go. It’s certainly important to see what it’s like, and when it gets down to the last one, it’s important to get some kind of handle or sense of what your rotation is gonna look like,” Nurse stated.
While Harden isn’t the same player on the offense, he can still be a very shrewd playmaker. He has a great basketball IQ and it helps him find teammates in tight angles. He led the league in assists last season.
