Sixers star James Harden is ‘on pace’ to return from foot injury in two weeks: ‘We’ve got a plan’

When James Harden hit the deck during the 76ers’ Nov. 2 loss to the Washington Wizards, he felt a “what-the-hell-is-this?” tingling in his foot that persisted even when he took his shoe off as soon as he sat on the bench.

Harden kept playing after getting it taped up in the locker room, but knew “it wasn’t right” while limping through the postgame locker room. He has now been rehabbing what was diagnosed as a foot tendon strain for more than two weeks, and said Thursday that he is “on pace” to return near the one-month mark that was initially projected.

In the meantime, Harden hopes the 7-7 Sixers can generate positive momentum without him, making his reintegration easier.

“We’ve got a plan,” Harden said in his first public comments since the injury. “We’ve got a script that we’re trying to stick to. All in all, I feel good. … It is what it is: another little hurdle to jump over and get my mind right [and] get ready to go hoop.”

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Harden did some light shooting following Thursday’s practice, but coach Doc Rivers said the perennial All-Star did not partake in the formal team session. Harden said his first week of recovery primarily consisted of non-weight-bearing inactivity to allow his foot to “kind of fall back into place,” though he prematurely removed his boot after about five days because he said it made his foot and ankle feel stiff.

In more recent days, Harden has been able to run on a treadmill with resistance and do workouts in the pool. Thursday’s on-court session was about “trying to get my bounce back,” he said, before a more intense cardio ramp-up for about a week when the pain fully subsides. In the nine games before the injury, Harden averaged 22.0 points on 44.1% shooting, seven rebounds, and 10.0 assists (which ranked second in the NBA entering Thursday).

After playing in at least 72 regular-season games from 2012 to 2019 (and 68 during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season), this is Harden’s third consecutive season with an injury. This one means the Sixers are missing out on the opportunity for early season building with Harden, whom they acquired at last season’s February trade deadline and fast-tracked into their system. In the five games without him, the Sixers have had the NBA’s best defensive efficiency (100.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) entering Thursday, but the second-worst offensive efficiency (105 points per 100 possessions).

Harden called it all a test in patience, a characteristic he said he does not possess in basketball or in life. He has passed down time playing video games and resting more than normal because, in his words, he is “not good at sleeping.” He has also been utilizing his personal chef to help him maintain the eating habits that allowed him to slim down before training camp.

“As much as you want to be out there on the court, you’ve got to make sure your body is right to where they can get the best version of you,” Harden said. “I’ll be back very, very soon, and then we’ll go out there and do what I do.”

Harden stepped away from the Sixers for a few days right after the injury to handle a personal family matter, but has been back on the bench for the past two games. That included when All-NBA center Joel Embiid exploded for 59 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks in what Harden called “an overall MVP performance” and “one of the best games I’ve seen.”

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Watching Embiid from the bench also got Harden’s brain humming about “how can I get Joel to be like that every single day, whether it’s me doing something or [sacrificing] or whatever the case may be?” Ditto for third-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who has been inconsistent while balancing aggressive scoring with playmaking as a lead ballhandler with Harden off the floor. Harden hopes that, during this stretch, Maxey can learn to identify where three-point shooters are on the court before he attacks the rim, and improve at beating double-teams and delivering pocket passes.

Those observations have kept Harden productive, even when he cannot play.

“[I’m] trying to find ways to get guys playing at another level [so], when I come back, that doesn’t drop,” Harden said. “It’s a little bit of a game within the game. …

“This is a good thing. I don’t ever want to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m the missing piece’ or whatever the case may be. I look at it as a positive, to where guys can really, really evolve and get better [so], when I come back, the communication’s a lot easier because they’ve been through it.”