After completing the transaction, Harden finally arrived in Philadelphia, and harden's smiling expression can be seen from the pictures officially posted by the 76ers, which has explained everything, and this is a new beginning for him. After leaving the Nets, he had a chance to storm the championship again. While many people were expecting Harden's debut at the 76ers, the team was very cautious and had already announced that Harden would be injured until after the All-Star Game!
Harden confirmed that he will miss the 2022 All-Star Game, which is quite a surprise, although he did not play in the Nets game due to injury before the trade, and the farewell battle as a Nets player also stayed in the single game against the Kings by 4 points, but the outside world generally believes that Harden's injury is not serious, more of a strategy he wants to leave the Nets, so giving up participating in the All-Star Game also makes the mystery of Harden's injury become confusing again.
But no matter what, this time giving up participating in the All-Star Game is definitely a wise move for Harden, even killing three birds with one stone!
1. Avoid embarrassment
During the All-Star selection process, Durant was reluctant to choose Harden until the last minute, resulting in him being automatically assigned to the James team without being selected. For Harden, such a situation is quite embarrassing. And in the All-Star Game, how he performed, obviously will become the focus of public opinion again, once he performs poorly, perhaps the outside world's comments will be one-sided to think that Durant did not choose him correctly.
Looking back at the previous All-Star Games, Harden's performance has always been average, so this absence due to injury can also be regarded as an indirect avoidance of public opinion!
2. Fight back against the abandonment question
Before the trade, Harden missed many games in a row due to injury, and after the transaction was completed, the media broke the news that Harden was reluctant to play in order to force the palace management to trade him away. Due to the past of negative games during the Rockets period, Harden's professional attitude has once again been questioned. So, giving up the All-Star Game at this time is definitely a perfect PR.
Regardless of whether Harden was really unable to play the game due to injury before, but now he has even given up the All-Star Game, which means that he is indeed injured and can largely calm some of the doubts.
3. Better recovery from injuries
Last season's early return from a playoff injury has caused Harden's post-season form to be affected, and hamstring injuries have always required a long period of repair to get back to their best form. You can refer to Paul in the 18-19 season, that season he has also been recovering from hamstring injuries, the performance has not been ideal, but after going to the Thunder, Paul returned to near-peak form.
Before Harden was traded, he had almost no time to get a break at the Nets, and the team's situation, Nash's employment, allowed him to be put on the court even if he was not in good shape. From missing a few games before the trade due to injury, to the following All-Star Weekend, Harden will be able to get very plenty of time to rest, helping him to better recover from hamstring injuries.
Once Harden's injury is better recovered, I believe that his state will also be significantly improved than at the beginning of the season, whether it is himself, or for the new team, it is a good news, but also reflects the team and the players themselves want to better impact the championship determination.
On the basis of Philadelphia's existing lineup, they want to win the championship, but also need a healthier, better form Harden, if they can use this time to rest and recover, and get back in good shape, then the next 76ers, obviously will become one of the biggest favorites to compete for the title