James Harden practices for first time with Sixers but will not play until after All-Star break

James Harden made his way around the three-point arc, stepping into his shot and firing off the catch.

It looked like a typical post-practice shooting routine for one of this generation’s best scoring guards. The difference: Harden was wearing a blue, long-sleeved 76ers shirt inside the team’s practice facility in Camden, working alongside second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, assistant coach Sam Cassell, and members of the team’s player-development staff.

Harden participated in his first practice with the Sixers Monday, his latest step in joining the team following last week’s blockbuster trade that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets. A bit of a wait for Harden to make his debut with his new team remains, as the Sixers also announced Monday that Harden will not play until after the All-Star break — and will not participate in Sunday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland — while he continues to rehab a hamstring injury that kept him out of his final three games with the Nets.

Still, Harden’s on-court acclimation process has officially begun, even as the Sixers finish up their pre-All-Star slate with challenging games Tuesday against the Boston Celtics and Thursday at the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

“I’m focused on both [the next two games and the future with Harden],” coach Doc Rivers said. “But it’s not that hard. I mean, listen, fitting James Harden into an offense is not that hard. It really isn’t. He’s just a terrific basketball player, so you don’t need to overcomplicate it.”

Monday’s team session — which included power forward Paul Millsap, who also came over the Nets in the trade and is available to play Tuesday — did not include any “live” contact work. But it did allow Harden to begin learning the Sixers’ schemes and principles on both ends of the floor. Rivers said Harden chuckled at how similar the Sixers’ concepts are to what the 10-time All-Star and former MVP has run at past stops.

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The current Sixers, meanwhile, have also already started adjusting to Harden’s strengths as a lethal scorer and creator with the ball in his hands, Rivers said. While running a specific play, for example, Maxey took the ball to the opposite side of the court because that’s where Harden would want to operate.

“Guys automatically flipped it without me saying a word,” Rivers said. " … We just did it.”

Rivers said he noticed an intensity uptick during Monday’s “skeleton” drill as players aimed to sharpen their timing. The Sixers plan to scrimmage in their first practice following the All-Star break, though even that will not fully replicate game reps, Rivers acknowledged. Nuances such as end-of-game packages will be new for Harden, the coach added. But Rivers and reserve forward Georges Niang both highlighted Harden’s basketball IQ as a reason they believe he will adapt quickly.

“Some of the other things [we do], we just threw him out there and had him do it,” Rivers said. “And he kind of figured it out.”

Added Niang: “He’s constantly asking questions, picking up on things. You can see him looking at different things where he’s picking his spots.”

The Sixers’ first two games after the All-Star break are at Minnesota (Feb. 25) and at New York (Feb. 27), before a home rematch against the Knicks on March 2. They are simultaneously building toward the playoffs while still trying to accumulate wins in an extremely competitive Eastern Conference. The 34-22 Sixers entered Monday in fifth place in the standings, but just 2½ games behind first-place Miami.

Now, the Sixers officially have Harden in their gym. And Niang said Harden’s approach to Monday’s practice demonstrated that he is ready for a championship run with his new team.

“That’s what’s understood that doesn’t need to be spoken or said,” Niang said. “I think with how engaged he was and ready he was to come in today and his energy, I think you can feel that. I think it was a great first day, definitely.”

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