James Harden Deserves To Be Selected For The 2023 NBA All-Star Game

After announcing starters for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game last week, the league is set to reveal the 14 reserves during Thursday’s edition of Inside the NBA. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid should be a lock to be selected after his snub from the starting lineup, but he isn’t the only Sixers player who deserves to make the team.

Although he missed roughly a month of action early this season with a foot injury, Sixers guard James Harden should be joining Embiid at the All-Star Game in mid-February.

In 34 games this season, Harden is averaging 21.4 points on 44.9 percent shooting, 11.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 three-pointers in 36.7 minutes per game. He’s also shooting a career-high 39.4 percent from deep after knocking down a season-high six three-pointers in the Sixers’ 105-94 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Harden is no longer scoring like he did during his prime with the Houston Rockets, but the Sixers don’t need him to. They need him to be their primary playmaker and secondary scorer behind Embiid, who is leading the league with a career-high 33.5 points per game on a career-high 53.4 percent shooting.

“This is a generational scorer that has taken [to] and decided to be a point guard,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters in December while praising Harden. “And that’s hard to do. … Most people can’t do that—or will not do it is a better way of saying it. And the fact that he is willingly doing it, running the team, organizing us, it’s huge for us.”

Harden is one of only three players this season averaging at least 20 points and 10 assists per game, joining Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (an All-Star starter in the West) and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (another should-be All-Star). No other Sixers player is averaging even five assists per game.

Because Harden hasn’t played in 70 percent of the Sixers’ games—he’s one game shy after Wednesday’s win Magic—he isn’t qualified for the NBA’s statistical leaderboard yet. Once he does become eligible, though, he’ll leap past Haliburton for the league lead in assists.

While Embiid is the still Sixers’ primary offensive focal point, Harden is the best table-setter with whom he’s played. Harden has assisted on 141 of Embiid’s 426 made baskets this season, while the rest of Embiid’s teammates combined have assisted on 135 of his made baskets.

With Harden and Embiid on the floor, the Sixers are averaging 122.2 points per 100 possessions and are outscoring opponents by 8.0 points per 100 possessions. When Harden plays without Embiid, the Sixers average only 115.9 points per 100 possessions and outscore opponents by 1.5 points per 100.

The Sixers are averaging 118.5 points per 100 possessions with Harden on the floor this season, which is better than the Denver Nuggets’ league-leading 117.4 offensive rating. They’re scoring only 110.7 points per 100 possessions with Harden off the floor, which would rank 27th leaguewide, ahead of only the bottom-feeding San Antonio Spurs (110.4), Houston Rockets (109.1) and Charlotte Hornets (109.0).

In case Harden’s impact on the Sixers offense isn’t enough to clinch his All-Star nod, advanced metrics help make his case, too.

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell were selected as the Eastern Conference backcourt starters. That means Harden will be competing with the likes of Haliburton, Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young and Chicago Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan for one of the two reserve backcourt spots or one of the two wild-card nods (which can go to either a guard or a frontcourt player).

Among that sextet, Harden ranks second in PER, box plus/minus and value over replacement player, trailing only Haliburton in each. He’s third among that group in total win shares—largely because he’s played fewer minutes than any of them—but he leads them all with .200 win shares per 48 minutes. He also leads all of them with a 61.9 true shooting percentage.

Harden is grading out as a relatively neutral defender this season, but he’s standing out in offensive all-in-one metrics. The 33-year-old ranks 11th in Dunks and Threes’ offensive estimated plus/minus, right between Mitchell and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. (Irving is 13th.) Haliburton is the only other Eastern Conference guard ahead of him.

Harden is also 16th leaguewide in offensive box plus/minus and is tied for 18th in offensive win shares. No one else in the top 20 of the latter metric has played fewer than 36 games.

“I’m not gonna sit up here and say I should be an All-Star, make a case, none of that,” Harden told reporters after the win over the Magic on Wednesday. “Numbers show it, our seed shows it. It would be my 11th in a row, so obviously, it’s always an honor. You never want to take that for granted. It means you’re doing something right. You’re making an impact on your team and on the game. If my name is called, great. If not, there are bigger and better goals for the season.”

The Sixers are currently a +1200 to win this year’s Finals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, trailing only six other teams. That’s presumably what Harden meant when he referred to his “bigger and better goals.”

Still, he’s done enough to merit a spot in the All-Star Game in the meantime.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac or RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.