James Harden made his highly anticipated 2022-23 preseason debut on Wednesday evening. After a 2021-22 that saw him hampered by a nagging hamstring injury, which altered his burst, fluidity and outside jumper, he enjoyed a healthy offseason to seemingly move past that affliction and return to the All-NBA mold of prior years.
Tyrese Maxey’s first-half flurry of 21 points and Montrezl Harrell’s late-game heroics were the bookends of a narrow victory, but Harden’s 19 minutes and his approach during those stints felt significant. Despite shooting just 3-of-9 from the floor for nine points, his performance should be interpreted favorably.