National Basketball Association

Can the Philadelphia 76ers turn things around?

Published Mar. 29, 2022 5:46 p.m. ET

This is not the same Philadelphia 76ers team fans saw a month ago.

After rattling off four straight victories in the games following James Harden's arrival, the Sixers' production has leveled up to near .500 ball.

The squad has gone 7-5 since their fiery hot streak, a stretch that included two close wins vs. a LeBron James-less Lakers team and an overtime thriller vs. the lowly Magic.

In the meantime, Philly has watched its comfortable Eastern Conference edge vanish, as the Miami Heat now sit ahead of the 76ers in the standings. Nonetheless, the Sixers now find themselves in a battle for first place, currently tied for second with the Milwaukee Bucks.

So what exactly caused them to tail off at the most critical juncture of the season?

Look no further than Harden, says Chris Broussard.

"You guys know when the trade was made, I said they're not winning it with Harden," Broussard reflected Tuesday on "First Things First."

"I'm mad with myself that over those first five games I was kind of fooled. But no more! James Harden just wants to go hoop. 'Let's go to the park, let's go to the YMCA, and just ball. You may get yours, but I'm definitely getting mine.' We saw the photo of him with Lil Baby after they had been demolished by [the Nets]. This is indicative of a mindset. Then they ran the hype video when he missed Reggie Miller in 3-pointers made even though they got blown out. He just wants to have fun, but when there's a grudge match, Harden don't want that smoke."

Nick Wright pointed to a different source of their shortcomings.

"We called this a poor man's Shaq and Kobe because we thought their games fit," Wright said.

"But they've almost run out of all opportunities to be playing a good team in a close game, and see what those two can and can't do together. I have a post-2016 rule: If DeAndre Jordan is in your rotation, you can't win the title. I've felt this way everywhere he's gone. So you want to get in my title bubble? DeAndre Jordan: Go to the bench buddy. I'm worried about Daryl [Morey's] team."

Kevin Wildes doesn't believe the pair has enough camaraderie to obtain a championship trophy.

"I don't think there's enough time for them," Wildes declared.

"I don't believe that Philadelphia has played enough games that we're going to see the real Sixers. I think there's a bit of ‘alright, let’s put it together, we finally got Harden in Philadelphia,' but do I think that they really have championship aspirations? No. Not with this amount of time to develop chemistry. Maybe you think an MVP candidate and a former MVP is enough, but I don't think there's enough time."

The Harden-Embiid combo is certainly taking longer than expected to gel together.

Through 389 total minutes together, the duo has amassed a net rating of 13.8 (57th best among pairs league-wide). That's the third-highest on the team, surpassed by Harden and Matisse Thybulle (17.7) and Thybulle plus Danny Green (14.8).

The duo's 120.9 offensive rating is 30th in the association among two-man lineups, while their 2.51 assist-to-turnover ratio is 37th, and 62% TS (true shooting) mark is 44th.

Time is of the essence for this team, and with eight regular-season games remaining, let's see if Philly can turn their troubles into triumph.