Nick Nurse Keeping in Contact With James Harden Amid Absence
Over the past week and a half, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been away from the team due to personal reasons. As the team gets ready for the regular season, Nick Nurse revealed he's been in contact with the All-Star guard.
On Monday morning, ESPN's Adrain Wojnarowski reported that Harden is still away from the team. Given the current circumstances, it remains unclear if he'll be available for the Sixers' opening night matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
Following practice on Monday, Sixers coach Nick Nurse was asked about Harden still not being around. He said he reached out to him to see how he was doing and got a response. However, he did not reveal what was said on either end.
"I did reach out to him the other day just via text like I would with anybody. Just seeing how he's doing and if he's alright and he did text me back," Nurse told reporters Monday.
Nurse was then asked if the two discussed Harden's availability for the team moving forward. He said that on-court matters was not something they talked about during their conversation. "Didn't get into any of that. I was just making sure he was okay," he said.
Despite the uncertainty of Harden, Nurse and the Sixers have to continue preparing for the start of the regular season. Later this week, the team will head to Milwaukee where they'll be tasked with facing the NBA's newest superstar duo of Giannis Antetokoumpo and Damian Lillard.
