CAMDEN, N.J. — James Harden as a Sixer is no longer theoretical.
He participated in his first practice with the team Monday and, according to head coach Doc Rivers, was not limited. However, patience will be required from fans waiting on Harden's Sixers debut.
Harden will be out through the All-Star break (including the All-Star Game itself on Sunday) as he rehabs his left hamstring, a Sixers official said. He'll continue treatment and on-court training over the break.
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Before being traded to the Sixers on Thursday, Harden missed his last three games as a Net with left hamstring tightness.
His movement did not appear compromised as he took post-practice shots with Tyrese Maxey.
“Just stand next to him and hope it rubs off. ... Clearly, our first day we wanted to make sure that James and Tyrese are together," Rivers said. “Just being together will help Tyrese. And James today was blown away by Tyrese. He had two dunks today and James was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ because you don’t see that. … I thought that surprised James a bit.”
The Sixers didn't scrimmage Monday and generally haven't practiced under Rivers unless they've had two or more days between contests. Rivers said he expects higher-paced "skeleton work" moving forward but figures much of Harden getting comfortable with his new teammates (and vice versa) will have to happen in games.
NBA
Georges Niang isn't concerned about the process of integrating another star.
“I don’t see it taking too long," Niang said. “I think the most underrated thing about James’ game is how smart he is. So he’s constantly asking questions, picking up on things. You can see him looking at different things where he’s picking his spots. ... I’m just happy I’m not on the other side because it seemed in Utah like every year, he was knocking us out of the playoffs.”
The Sixers will officially introduce Harden in a press conference at noon on Tuesday, then face the Celtics that night at Wells Fargo Center. Their final game before the All-Star break is a road matchup with the Bucks on Thursday.
Paul Millsap was also present Monday and worked at a hoop alongside Paul Reed after practice. Like with Harden, Rivers indicated the Sixers plan to be careful with Millsap's health.
“We want to make sure (Harden is) ready, and so we’re going to wait until he’s ready," Rivers said. “Same thing with Paul — both of them.”
The 37-year-old Millsap has only appeared in one NBA game since Dec. 27, but he might be in the mix as a center option behind Joel Embiid.
The Sixers' first game following the All-Star break is Feb. 25 in Minnesota. After playing Boston, the team doesn't have any home games until March 2 against the Knicks.