76ers: How Concerning is James Harden’s Setback?

Doc Rivers addresses the state of James Harden's setback.

The last week hasn’t been ideal for Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. When the ten-time All-Star took a night off last Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, it was chalked up as a rest night for a guy who had a month-long injury recovery earlier in the year.

On Monday night, Harden was back on the floor to face the Chicago Bulls in South Philly. He appeared on the court for 46 minutes in the double-overtime loss. Harden didn’t look like the best version of himself, shooting 2-14 from the field for just five points.

While Harden struggled against the Bulls in the Sixers’ first two meetings against Chicago, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers admitted he didn’t believe it was the Bulls’ gameplan against Harden that contributed to his struggles, rather he felt Harden was dealing with pain.

“I thought he was hurting a little bit,” Rivers said on Monday night. “I thought his pace was so slow. A lot of late clock possessions.”

Harden was getting attention from trainers in the locker room after the game as he iced his foot. While he didn’t address his setback on Monday, the Sixers’ injury report clarified that Harden was dealing with Achilles soreness.

Although Harden was initially questionable for the Sixers’ Wednesday night rematch on the road against the Chicago Bulls, he was ruled out a few hours before the game tipped off. Before the matchup, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that the team was resting him “out of caution.”

After the matchup, Rivers mentioned that he expects Harden to play on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors.

“I can’t guarantee that, but I do expect him back,” Rivers told reporters, regarding Harden’s playing status for Friday night.

“We don’t want him playing if it’s sore,” Rivers added. “So, if it's sore enough, we still won’t play him on Friday. We’re at that point — like if it was probably earlier in the year — everybody still played. We’ve gone into the playoffs two years in a row with injuries. We all learned, we all know that you don’t win in the playoffs if your key guys aren’t healthy. Period. So, we’re going to do whatever we can to be healthy.”

With the Sixers locked into a playoff spot, they have to focus on the bigger picture when it comes to playing players that aren’t one hundred percent healthy. While there is still incentive to win games, as the Sixers are still within reach of the two seeds above them, making sure the stars are healthy is the main priority. 

If Harden isn’t feeling close to the best version of himself going into Friday’s game at Golden State, then there’s no sense in the Sixers risking his long-term health for a regular season with with just a few weeks of games left. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.