PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 12: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 12, 2022 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
James Harden has almost missed the same number of games since 2020 when compared to the first 11 NBA seasons of his career.
James Harden has had quite a solid career in the NBA from a broader spectrum. The current Philadelphia 76ers superstar made a name for himself as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA at the moment, and even though he has never won the NBA Championship – the former MVP is a proven winner who has had a reputation for being one of the toughest forwards.
However, the last two years of his career have not really worked out in Harden’s favor. Ever since joining the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, Harden has struggled with niggling injuries. The forward suffered 12 different injuries through the course of the 2021/22 season, experiencing problems with his ankle, thigh, hamstring, and neck. He also missed games due to general rest.
As with any player into his 30s, the body becomes weaker and injuries are tougher to bounce back from. Similarly for Harden, managing his recurrent injuries became all the tougher as he sat out for multiple games due to a lingering hamstring injury. It first bothered him in the summer of 2021, and then came back in early 2022 – meaning Harden sat before (and during) the All-Star break.
After two injury-riddled seasons, it felt like Harden was finally back at his best after starting this season in fine form for the Sixers – however, as luck would have it, Harden now finds himself sidelined for a month owing to a right foot tendon strain. Harden was famously known as one of the toughest guys in the NBA – but following his latest injury, a stat has emerged that really puts his misery in recent years into context.
A stat has emerged that puts the stark physical decline of Harden into context.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was speaking to Mallika Andrews on the latest episode of ESPN’s NBA Today talk show when he spoke about Harden contracting his latest injury. While injuring his right foot tendon will reportedly see Harden sidelined for a month, Wojnarowski came up with a mind-blowing stat.
The NBA insider said that Harden has almost missed the same number of games since 2020 when compared to his first 11 NBA seasons. In fact, Harden has missed 42 games through injury since 2020 – only one less than the total number of games he missed in the first 11 seasons of his career (43).
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