On October 6, the NBA preseason, the 76ers vs. Cavaliers, the last absent Harden started this game, he only participated in the first two quarters of the game, shooting 9 of 3, including 3 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, cut 9 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound. Harden's movement speed has become significantly faster after losing weight, the long pass is still quite in place, and shaking Wade down is a classic moment.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Harden's throw was missed, the ball was destroyed by the opponent, and he still needed to find the feeling of the game. Soon Harden assisted Maxi to hit a three-pointer, and Harden passed the ball to Maxi, which was stolen by LeVer. Harden broke through to challenge Allen, the result was blocked, and then Rivers Sr. replaced Harden with a replacement.
In the second quarter, Harden attacked with the ball, and he hit the ground to Melton on the right, resulting in a mistake out of bounds. Harden broke through to face Dean Wade and was blocked by the blow. Harden blasted in from the outside. Harden broke through, causing a foul on Mitchell and he hit both free throws. Harden hit the ground to Embiid in the middle, who threw the shot to score. Harden picked up the board and launched a long pass to attack, and Maxi received the ball and scored a layup. The 76ers had a chance to fight back, and Harden won the empty basket. Harden pulled away to beat Dean Wade, a sideways move to knock the opponent down, he signaled it was 2+1, the referee did not say that it also caused controversy. In the first half, Harden had 9 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound.
In the second half, Harden did not play, and he only played the first half of his preseason debut.
As can be seen from the game, Harden did lose a lot of weight and moved more flexibly, he himself joked that he lost 100 pounds, and O'Neal also had high expectations for Harden after losing weight, saying that he hoped that Harden could find his past level. After losing weight, Harden did show more energy, facing Wade's sideways three-pointer, all in one go.
This offseason Harden completed the renewal of his contract, coupled with hard training and weight loss, he also hopes to be able to make a breakthrough in the new season, and also hopes that the next Harden can be lucky, the team targeted reinforcements, but also experienced failures and troughs, Sissel's new season is their opportunity to prove themselves.