Philadelphia 76ers: James Harden’s debut is officially 24 hours away

Hold onto your butts, Philadelphia 76ers fans, for James Harden‘s on-court debut is officially 24 hours away.

I know, I know, despite only being acquired two weeks ago, it seems like an eternity since Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, and two first-round picks were whisked away to Brooklyn for a chance to once again reunite Daryl Morey with his favorite player – plus Paul Millsap – in a move that would undoubtedly turn the association on its head.

Since that temperate Thursday afternoon, Curry and Drummond have played three games for the Nets, Simmons has selected a new number, and Harden has become the NBA’s top-selling jersey. We’ve seen “The Beard” don a practice pinnie, sit courtside for lopsided wins and losses, and have his name announced as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers over All-Star weekend, but when it comes to actual on-court action, Harden’s 2021-22 highlights exclusively feature a black, white, or grey uniform instead of a majestic red, white, and blue.

Well, guess what? That’s all about to change, for in 24 hours, James Harden will be on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers when they face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in a game that will surely go down as an all-timer even for fans of the post-Process era.

Buckle up folks, this is going to be fun.

James Harden is about to make history for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since the award was officially minted in 1956, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded for three former association MVPs: Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, and James Harden. Granted, they’ve traded away two MVPs as well: Chamberlain and Allen Iverson, but when you consider that Malone hasn’t called Philadelphia home since 1994, that’s a pretty rare feat.

Want to know what else is rare? Having a player who averages 25 points per game over his career. Since the 76ers were formed in 1956, initially as the Syracuse Nationals, only three players, “The Stilt,” “The Answer,” and “The Process” can boast that feat according to Statmuse, with Dr. J following close behind with a points per game average of 24.2.

How about some more stats, just for fun? Well, in NBA history, there have only been 89 occurrences where a player averaged double-digit assists per game. Harden owns four of them and counting, whereas the rest of the Sixers have zero.

… okay, technically that isn’t true. Doc Rivers actually averaged 10 assists per game in 1986-87, but that didn’t technically come as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, so that doesn’t really count.

Are you by any chance a fan of 3 point shots? Well, guess what? Harden has made the fourth most of any player in NBA or ABA history, trailing only Steph Curry, Ray Allen, and Reggie Miller. Not the fourth-most in a season, mind you – Harden actually ranks second in that category for this 2018-19 run – but in his career overall. While it’ll be hard for Harden to catch up with Curry, at 32-years-old, there’s a very good chance he finishes out his career with the second-most makes of any player in NBA history, which is a very impressive feat.

If you aren’t excited about Harden’s debut now, I really have nothing else to tell ya.

In 24 hours, everything changes. In 24 hours, we will officially have footage of James Harden in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, and we’ll be able to see 30-plus minutes of “The Beard” playing off of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and the rest of his new teammates. Will it work? Will Harden fly out of the gate and score 40 right away, or will the team take a little longer to get on the same page? Only time will tell, but very soon, the first chapter in what should be a story for the ages will be on the books.