Philadelphia 76ers: James Harden is three 3s away from history

James Harden is a darn good basketball player. He’s a basketball scholar, a passing wiz, and a crafty scorer who became so good at drawing fouls on his signature step back shot, it forced the NBA to change how fouls are called.

Oh yeah, and Harden just so happens to be one of the best 3 point shooters in NBA history.

Now sure, some folks will try to poo poo at that assertion. They’ll point to Harden’s career 3 point shooting percentage of 36.2, or that he’s never made 40 percent of his 3s in any of his 13 professional seasons, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. No, when you consider Harden takes an average of 7.6 3s per game and makes 2.8 of them, his on-court production vastly overshadows his efficiency, as the pride of Arizona State has consistently ranked among the best scorers in the NBA since taking on a starring role with the Rockets back in 2012-13.

And on Friday, when the Philadelphia 76ers take the court of the Wells Fargo Center for an Eastern Conference showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Harden will probably make NBA history, as he’s just three 3s away from tying Reggie Miller for the third-most made 3s in association history.

James Harden’s shot should benefit the Philadelphia 76ers.

Did you know that point guards are allowed to take and make 3s? I know, I know, this seems like common knowledge, but if you watch the Philadelphia 76ers and watch them exclusively, you may not realize that such a move is even allowed.

Sure, other teams have point guards like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Chris Paul, who let it fly in addition to setting up their teammates, but for one reason or another, the Sixers haven’t had such a luxury since Jrue Holiday headed south in the Process-starting trade for Nerlens Noel. Were non-shooting point guards a crucial part of the team’s plan to not win games? Or did Adam Silver put some sort of secret sanction on Philly’s franchise for taking part in the greatest tank job of the 20th century?

Either way, as improbable as it may sound, the Sixers haven’t employed a point guard who made 100 3 pointers over the course of a season since Allen Iverson accomplished the feat in 2004-05, which feels impossible if it wasn’t true. Outside of Shake Milton and Isaiah Canaan, who both fall more into the “combo guard” camp than the mold of a true point guard, the Sixers have either drafted guards like Michael Carter-Williams, Ben Simmons, and Tyrese Maxey, who weren’t known for their outside shots, or swung big on a player like Markelle Fultz who rapidly lost that ability.

Why, you may ask, is this relevant? Well, because Harden has already made 100 3s on the 2021-22 season alone and has 10 made 3s on 20 shots over three games in a Sixers uniform.

For a team starved for shooting from the one spot for the better part of two decades, Harden’s arrival is a revelation. He changes the calculus of how Philly puts up points, how they compose their rotation, and how efficient the offense can remain when Joel Embiid is off the court. Factor in Harden’s immaculate passing abilities and his efficiency from the free throw line, and you’re left with a player who is so gosh darn good at what he does, it almost seems unfair.

Will Friday forever go down as the day James Harden ties or even leapfrogs Reggie Miller on the NBA’s All-Time made 3 pointers list, or will it come in South Beach versus Joel Embiid’s former favorite teammate, Jimmy Butler? Only time will tell, but sooner or later, Harden will accomplish that feat, and he will do it in a Philadelphia 76ers jersey. Appreciate it while you can, Philly fans; we are witnessing history.