The Chicago Bulls’ 121-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers showed them that stopping James Harden has to be a top priority if the teams face each other in the playoffs.
The Chicago Bulls had their hands full in their matchup against the 76ers on Monday night. The Sixers have been rolling since adding James Harden to their starting lineup. The honeymoon phase has featured a 5-0 start in games that Harden has played as well as an exuberant Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Their first game was almost too good to be true, as the 76ers routed the Minnesota Timberwolves. Harden put up 27 points including five 3-pointers — which is Ben Simmons’ total number of made 3s during his tenure in Philly. The following games were just as explosive for Harden. He logged his first triple-double with the franchise and then dissected the Bulls for a double-double.
While five games (two against the Knicks) do not warrant becoming title favorites, the newly refurbished Sixers do pose a challenge for Eastern Conference opponents. Aside from the obvious two-headed monster in Harden and Embiid, role players like Maxey have elevated their game next to Harden.
The Bulls will have to find a way to neutralize Harden’s presence if they want to have a chance come the postseason, and they learned a little bit about that on Monday. Here’s what they may need to do in the coming months.
3. Force James Harden into being the Philadelphia 76ers playmaker
James Harden is most lethal as the primary scorer. While he can hurt opposing teams as a playmaker, it’s easier to turn him into playmaker than it is to entirely eliminate him from the offensive equation.
He has proven throughout his career that he can single-handedly beat a team in the playoffs. He did in 2015 against the Los Angeles Clippers and in 2020 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Embiid, on the hand, hasn’t shown the same prowess in the playoffs. Yes, Embiid has been on a tear this season. He had an extremely impressive campaign last year, too. But he has never had a signature game in the playoffs where he shot a team out.
As a result, Harden’s scoring will be the key to a potential 76ers run.
Throughout his career, Harden’s had explosive scoring outputs every season. As we continue into the playoffs, that output declines and he becomes more passive. As a floor general, his reads are often late and don’t result in further ball movement … especially in the playoffs.
In the Brooklyn Nets’ second-round series against the Bucks, Harden wasn’t able to score consistently. The Bucks length (as well as a lingering hamstring injury), disrupted Harden’s drives and ability to create separation.
He took on a playmaker role, getting off the ball quicker … but not driving to score, and rather to find shooters. The shooter in that case was Joe Harris– who couldn’t buy a basket in the playoffs.
Harden has been criticized throughout his career for ball watching on the offensive end when he isn’t in possession of it. While he’s a wizard in isolation, he stands and watches the play unfold when off the ball.
In Game 7 of that Bucks-Nets series, most of the highlights show Harden sitting in the corner or standing up top while while Durant cooks down low. When he did insert himself into the offense, he over-dribbled and and got off the ball late. In doing so, he took a lot of time off the shot clock, leaving little time for ball rotation after the initial pass. This not only makes the defense not have to shift, but also clogs the court spacing. That left the entire load on Durant, and ultimately sent the Nets home.
This has always been Harden-led teams’ Achilles heel. The Bulls can exploit his lackluster movement as a playmaker by putting a lengthy defender like Derrick Jones Jr. on him as well as blitzing him on drives.