Injuries put the 76ers' guard depth to the test early in the season but help is on the way.
All-Star guard James Harden, who has been sidelined since Nov. 3 with a right foot tendon strain, is reportedly "likely" to return for Philadelphia's game against the Rockets on Monday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Harden only played in nine games this season before he suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss the 76ers' next 13 games. Just six games into Harden's stint on the sidelines, Philadelphia suffered another severe injury when breakout guard Tyrese Maxey went down with a small fracture in his left foot, keeping him out until mid-to-late December.
Those two injuries left a massive void in the Sixers' backcourt — a combined 44.9 points and 14.4 assists per game, to be exact. Reserve guards Shake Milton and De'Anthony Melton stepped up in a big way with Harden and Maxey out, but superstar center Joel Embiid also elevated his game to an MVP level to keep the 76ers afloat.
Now that Harden is set to return, what does that mean for Embiid's role and the 76ers' rotation?
How James Harden's return from injury impacts Joel Embiid
Prior to his foot injury, Harden was looking as sharp as we've seen him this early into a season in quite some time. He came into 2022-23 in better shape than years prior, locked in and ready to help a 76ers team with championship aspirations reach their full potential.
Harden was nearly averaging a triple-double, posting 22.0 points, 10.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game. Even though he was playing at an All-Star level, Harden's individual success didn't directly translate to wins for Philly as it got out to a slow start to the year.
The 76ers were just 4-5 in the nine games Harden has played and the team has seen similar results in his absence. Philadelphia has gone 7-6 without Harden, owning a 12-11 record that has it just outside of a top-six seed in the East through the first quarter of the season.
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Embiid has taken on a massive workload in Harden and Maxey's absence, doing everything he could to maintain the course for the 76ers.
| GP | FGA | FG% | 3P% | RPG | APG | BPG | PPG | USG Rate | |
| Embiid with Harden | 6 | 18.2 | 53.2 | 30.0 | 9.5 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 27.2 | 34.5 |
| Embiid without Harden | 9 | 21.4 | 49.7 | 25.0 | 9.9 | 6.2 | 2.1 | 34.2 | 39.7 |
Embiid's usage rate of 39.7 without Harden would be the highest in the NBA, giving you an idea of how heavy the burden has been on the star center the last few weeks.
We've seen him deliver some signature career performances — like his historic game against the Jazz where he went for 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks in a win, one night after going for 42 points and 10 rebounds against the Hawks — but that's asking a lot of an injury-prone big man during regular season games in November and December.
Embiid averages more points, rebounds, assists, blocks and shot attempts per game without Harden by his side, but his efficiency takes a dip when his playmaking teammate isn't there to take some attention from the defense or set him up for easy buckets.
According to NBA stats, only Maxey (26) has assisted Embiid more times than Harden (21), but Harden has played five fewer games with Embiid than Maxey.
Even if Embiid's scoring average takes a slight dip with Harden back, it should only make life easier for the talented big man because he'll see fewer double teams and he gets his prolific pick-and-roll partner back.
How James Harden's return from injury impacts the 76ers
As mentioned above, Milton and Melton did a remarkable job of stepping up with Harden and Maxey sidelined. Milton morphed into Harden-lite, while Melton was more of a Swiss Army Knife, taking on tough defensive assignments and working as a secondary playmaker.
| PPG | RPG | APG | |
| Shake Milton | 21.3 | 5.3 | 6.0 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 14.5 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
Milton was hardly playing before Harden and Maxey's injuries, averaging 3.9 points and 1.4 assists in 12.4 minutes per game. Melton has been a staple in head coach Doc Rivers' rotation all season but his services became much more essential when the backcourt depth thinned out.
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Harden's return will certainly reduce both of their minutes and roles, but they should both continue to see plenty of playing time with Maxey still out for another couple of weeks.
One of the two guards will defer their starting role to Harden, and even though it was Milton who took the biggest leap in a time of need, he'll likely head to the bench because his skillset overlaps with Harden's.
Milton already proved the type of offensive punch he can bring to this 76ers team during his time as an interim starter, and now he'll have a chance to claim the Sixth Man role upon Harden's return.
With James Harden back in the lineup, the 76ers will look to rise from the Play-In Tournament range to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, where they were expected to be heading into the season.
