« Time has caught up with this superstar, it’s over for him »

James Harden seems in distress since the start of the playoffs, and few think that things will work out for him. One of his former teammates also affirms cash: his glory days are behind him. This is brutal for the Sixer…

While Philadelphia led 3-0 against the Raptors and headed straight for a sweep, Doc Rivers’ men will now have to play a Game 6 in Toronto. A rather unpleasant turn of events, and criticism was quick to fall on the players, especially in the case of James Harden. While his teammate Joel Embiid does the job (nearly 25 points and 12 rebounds on average), the rear has indeed touched bottom since the start of the series.

With only 37.3% shooting success and almost four bullet losses per game, The Beard is unrecognizable at the worst of times, delivering an extremely complicated 2021-22 exercise. For some, however, there is no doubt that it is the kind of performances we’ll have to get used to about him. Kendrick Perkins, who played with him at the Thunder in the early 2010s, explains that the time when he displayed an MVP level is over:

Kendrick Perkins delivers a stark verdict on James Harden

The passage of time hits everyone at a different time in their career. I think he caught up with James Harden right now, right before our eyes. James Harden no longer has the speed or the explosiveness to pass guys. He is unable to reach the hoop and finish in contact. He is not even able to separate from his defender to succeed with his three-point shot.

I get it, everyone wants to say Doc Rivers needs to put him in a position to shine, but at the end of the day, James Harden has the ball in his hands. They play pick-and-roll action, he has isolation games, what more do you want to give him to get him out there and succeed? It’s over for him. It’s the James Harden we’re going to see from now on.

Voted best player in the league in 2018, the former Brooklyn guard now shows a much more mediocre face and it would therefore not be about to work out for him. Recruited before the deadline to provide strong support to the Cameroonian pivot, El Chapo is failing for the moment, to the point where the young Tyrese Maxey fulfills this function much better than him. If it continues like this, the fall could be very brutal for the superstar.

Kendrick Perkins is not the only one who thinks James Harden will no longer return to his former level, and the 2021-22 season proves the doubters right. Let’s hope for The Beard that he will be able to find a solution to settle his troubles.