James Harden is considered one of the best players in the NBA. His shooting ability was unparalleled in the league. Moreover, he is the all-time NBA leader in unassisted three-point makes. His playmaking was elite with the Houston Rockets, where he was also positioned as a point guard. But his decline has come swift and fast.

Defensively, he has never been great, but it has also slowed his offensive prowess down with age. The Sixers are suffering because of this as they went down to the Miami Heat 119-103. Fans have been commentating on his decline for a while now.

Fans reaction to Harden’s decline

Harden’s decline has not come as a shock to anyone this season. His performances have dipped below his usual levels for over two years. Fans have been noticing this for quite a while now. Harden, while a legendary player, has not escaped the scrutiny. These are some of the Twitter reactions of his performance today:

James Harden for the Philadelphia 76ers

James Harden has been called on to lead the Philadelphia 76ers in their semifinal matchup with the Miami Heat. The former MVP’s play has been up-and-down since arriving in Philly in February, and his struggles continued in Game 1 and 2.In 34 minutes, Harden posted 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. This was far from an effective night for him as he shot only 38.5% and coughed the ball up five times as Miami rolled 106-92.

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In today’s game, he finished with 20 points (6 of 15 from the floor, 1 of 5 from the three-point range, 7 of 7 from the free-throw line) and nine assists. Harden only scored two points in the third quarter, then missed all three of his fourth-quarter attempts. His misfires on a pull-up jumper and three-pointer on back-to-back trips could have cut the Sixers? deficit to two possessions.

His approach has been inadequate to deal with the Miami Heat. Harden cannot consistently beat people off the dribble anymore. Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers look hopeless as Harden has come short as a leader of the team. If he cannot bring up big performances, then the Sixers seem rudderless. If he cannot, Daryl Morey might have made a big mistake by bringing him in for Ben Simmons.

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Can Harden do something for the team? Will Emojis come back to save them? Will it be too late by then? We will find the answers for this soon enough.