It has been quite a while now since the Philadelphia 76ers employed James Harden. If you’re not a new Sixers fan, you remember exactly how his tenure with the franchise ended, though you’re likely wishing you could forget it at this point.

If you recall, Harden originally picked up his player option for the 2023-24 season in Philadelphia, but ended up requesting a trade from the organization. He called out Daryl Morey and his exit from the team became quite messy in the end. When he ended up with the LA Clippers, many within the Sixers fanbase were fine with it.

At the end of the day, it seemed like we knew who Harden was. He gave Philly some impressive playoff performances, especially against Boston in 2023. But in the end, he fizzled out when it mattered most. Many felt the 76ers had made the right move.

On top of everything else, Harden was getting older. What could Philadelphia reasonably be missing out on? Well, if James’ tenure with the Clippers so far is any indication, he could be still enjoying something of a late-career resurgence. Could this trend be marked by improved play in the playoffs?

Harden showed out for the Clippers in Game 1

If Saturday afternoon was any indication, perhaps the answer could be yes. In the Clippers’ Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, Harden led the Clippers with 32 points on 11-for-22 shooting and 4-for-9 from three, along with 11 assists. Even with a healthy Kawhi Leonard on the floor, Harden was pretty clearly LA’s best player in a high-stakes playoff game.

Now, there is always the possibility Harden still shrinks if things come down to a deciding Game 7. Frankly, we’ve seen it happen before. But is it crazy to say the Sixers would be much happier having current James Harden as their starting point guard right now over having to deal with… Whatever the 2024-25 season turned out to be? I really don’t think so.

It’s unmistakably clear at this point just how big of a mistake the Paul George signing was last summer. That deal, combined with George’s health and Joel Embiid’s continued injury troubles, created one of the biggest letdown seasons in Philadelphia history this past year.

So… Are we missing James Harden yet? The three-time scoring champion is looking like the best version of himself anyone could have expected him to be at this stage of his career. Harden isn’t perfect, but the 76ers would likely prefer to have him over PG right about now.