CAMDEN, N.J. — James Harden worked up a good sweat doing a bunch of 3-point shooting drills with teammate Tyrese Maxey and shot the ball well at the end of his first 76ers’ practice Monday.
But the 32-year-old Harden, who missed his last four games with the Nets due to hamstring tightness and didn’t appear in his first two contests as a Sixer after Thursday’s blockbuster trade involving Ben Simmons, will remain out through the all-star break.
The Sixers said Harden will continue rehabilitating his left hamstring via treatment and ramp up his on-court training. He won’t participate in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, to which he was voted for the ninth time. Sixers star center Joel Embiid is starting in the game for the fourth straight season.
The 34-22 Sixers host the Celtics on Tuesday night and visit the Bucks on Thursday prior to the weeklong all-star break. They return to face the Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Feb. 25 and visit the Knicks on Feb. 27, though it’s unclear if Harden will be in the lineup that soon. “An update on his playing status will be provided following the break,” according to the Sixers.
Asked why Harden will be out for at least the next two games, Sixers coach Doc Rivers replied, “I have no idea. I think it’s just to make sure he’s right, healthy and ready to go. I’m not a doctor, (though) they call me Doc.”
The same approach applies to veteran power forward Paul Millsap, who was also acquired in the Harden deal in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first-round picks. Millsap could get some minutes at backup center.
While Harden “did everything” his teammates did Monday, according to Rivers, the Sixers didn’t scrimmage or conduct any live drills.
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“Him and Paul brought a lot of energy and a lot of excitement around our team,” said veteran wing Danny Green.
Harden showed his ability to knock down off-the-dribble jumpers from around the 3-point line during the drills with Maxey.
A three-time NBA scoring champion, the left-handed Harden averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 assists and 8 rebounds in 44 outings for Brooklyn this season. Though still solid numbers, Harden’s scoring, field goal percentage (.414) and 3-point percentage (.332) are his lowest since joining Houston in 2012.
Harden is scheduled to meet with the Philadelphia media Tuesday for the first time since the trade.
Rivers said it’s not an accident that Harden worked with Maxey after the session and that he plans to have what is expected to be the team’s starting backcourt spend as much time together as possible.
“He’s obviously a high-IQ basketball player,” said Rivers of Harden. “Fitting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t. He’s just a terrific basketball player.”
Harden’s presence has increased expectations of a deep playoff run for a franchise that has been past the second round just once (2000-01) since 1984-85.
“We play for April, May and June,” Green said.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
