James Harden Returns to 76ers, Will he Face Bucks for Season Opener?

After being away from the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden has returned to team practice.

James Harden has returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' training facility on Wednesday morning ahead of their opening match against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Harden has been away from the Sixers' facilities since last week due to personal reasons. 

Prior to his hiatus from team activities, Harden was present and partaking in practices when the team was preparing in Fort Collins, Colorado. He also traveled with the Sixers for their preseason opener against the Boston Celtics, in addition to participating in practice sessions at the team's practice facility in Camden, New Jersey.

The Beard's return to the team comes two days after Sixers head coach Nick Nurse discussed his personal interactions with the 34-year-old during his absence, noting that he was "just making sure he was okay."

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What's Harden's Status for Thursday's Opener?

The Sixers are set to travel to Milwaukee after Wednesday's practice. On Thursday night, they'll battle it out against the Milwaukee Bucks for their season opener.

Since Harden’s sudden absence from the team last week, the Sixers were unsure about his playing status on the road in Milwaukee. So far, the team has yet to get a glimpse of Harden in the team’s new system under Nick Nurse beyond the practice court.

When the Sixers took on the Boston Celtics for their first two sets of preseason action, Harden got the night off due to rest. Since the ten-time All-Star mentioned he was targeting a return to the court for the team’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks, it came as no surprise Harden missed the third preseason matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

However, his absence from the team eliminated Harden’s chances of showing face on the court during the preseason. Now, the question becomes, will Harden play in Milwaukee on Thursday?

According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, that won’t be the case. Although there were initial reports that Harden would travel to Milwaukee with a low chance of playing, Haynes clarifies that the plan will be for Harden to remain around the team’s practice facility to ramp up and get ready for the regular season after seeing limited action lately. 

Harden’s targeted return to action is unclear, but the earliest he could see the court would be on Saturday when the Sixers pay a visit to the Toronto Raptors.