James Harden Ready to Return to MVP Conversation

Sixers star James Harden believes his improved conditioning will help him re-enter the NBA's MVP conversation.

The perception of James Harden has changed since his days as the Houston Rockets' franchise player. After spending three-straight seasons at the top of the NBA in the scoring department by averaging over 30 points, Harden grew disgruntled in Houston.

The questions about Harden's conditioning really came to life ahead of the 2020-2021 NBA season. As Harden wanted a fresh start and felt he needed to get out of Houston, he appeared in just eight games before the team mutually agreed to shut down the All-Star until they found a suitable trade.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets were in a two-team race to land Harden. The latter organization snagged the star guard and created a star trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden.

Harden did a solid job in Brooklyn as a playmaker, averaging a career-high of 8.5 assists in 36 games. However, his scoring average was down to 24 points after he put up 34 points per game with the Rockets in the previous season.

Many expected Harden to bounce back in 2021-2022, but a hamstring hampered the star guard throughout the 2021 offseason and beyond. In what Harden believed would be his first full season in Brooklyn, the ten-time All-Star put up 22 points per game in 44 matchups.

Eventually, the star guard forced his way out of Brooklyn and landed with the Sixers. Once again, Harden's numbers took a dip to 21 points per game and dropped significantly in the playoffs, where he averaged just 18 points per game in 12 matchups.

Even Harden's star teammate Joel Embiid was convinced that Harden's best scoring days were behind him. While the big man didn't attempt to throw shade at Harden during his final press conference of the 2022 season, Embiid said what many were thinking.

"Ever since we got him, everybody expected the Houston James Harden," said Embiid back in May. "But that's not who he is anymore."

Embiid's comment followed with a compliment on Harden's playmaking skills, but it was clear he bought into the idea that the former MVP couldn't reach the same levels he did in Houston. While Harden agrees that he doesn't need to score over 30 a night to keep his team competitive, the star guard doesn't buy into the notion that "Houston Harden" is no more — especially not after a successful offseason in the All-Star's eyes. 

"We get a full summer of me knowing Joel a lot more, and me knowing Doc and the coaching staff, knowing what they want and what they expect," Harden said on the SiriusXM NBA Radio show earlier this week. "For the past two and a half years, it's been a struggle for me because I wasn't able to be who I know I am. All that in a pile was very frustrating. You get a full season of health, working out, and honestly getting back to who I need to be."

Harden admitted on Monday that he reached some "dark times" while battling a hamstring injury over the last couple of years. "The hamstring is nothing to play with," he said on SiriusXM. "Fortunately for me, I never had a serious injury through my time. The last two summers — the pandemic and then the last summer was all recovery — it was all rehabbing and doing the small things."

After a second-round loss to the Miami Heat, Harden mentioned that he looked forward to going into the offseason without rehabbing from an injury. Harden accomplished his goals before training camp by avoiding setbacks for the last few months. Now, the star guard is convinced he'll have a bounce-back season with the Sixers and could potentially re-enter the MVP conversation.

"I'm in a really good space, honestly," Harden finished. "Tomorrow, we hit the ground running, and I still got three weeks to be in even better shape. I've dedicated myself to being in the best shape because I am getting older. I always said that if my conditioning can be level with my skill set and my IQ and the work that I put in — It's MVP. And I feel like my conditioning is where it needs to be. I'm in a really good place, I'm healthy, and I'm excited to get going."

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