“We will be talking about James Harden differently when it's all said and done with 76ers” - Jay Williams believes Harden will have a breakout season in 2022

James Harden joined the Philadelphia 76ers halfway through the 2021-22 season but failed to lead them to a deep run in the playoffs. Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams believes things could be different for Harden and the 76ers next season.

Since joining the Sixers, Harden has not reached the heights expected of him. Although he has had a few incredible games, they have been offset by disappointing performances. This has sparked a debate about whether the Sixers should move on from the mercurial guard.

On ESPN's Get Up, Jay Williams said the Sixers can expect a different Harden in the 2022-23 season. He feels the former Rockets star is set to have a breakout year with the 76ers.

"One of the things that I think is easy to say about James Harden is, for his whole career he's been selfish. And Windy alluded to how many times he's turned down money. Haven't heard anything from James Harden since he kind of went out on bad terms since the last time they lost in the playoffs. Him working, him working on his conditioning, him turning down money, he's still gonna make a lot of money.

"But to show, let's get guys like PJ Tucker, I really think this is going to be a breakout season and we will be talking about James Harden differently when it's all said and done with the Philadelphia 76ers."

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James Harden has declined his $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season

Joel Embiid #21 and James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Harden has declined his $47.3 million player option, and has officially become a free agent. The report also stated that the three-time scoring champion took the decision so as to give the Sixers more flexibility to build their roster.

Although the Sixers look formidable enough with the pairing of Harden and Joel Embiid, they might need some more firepower in other positions.

Harden was brought in to help the Sixers compete for a championship, but they failed to achieve that in his first season. More worryingly, they have failed to get past the Eastern Conference semifinals since the 2000-01 season.

As a Sixer, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game. Sadly, his shooting percentages took a dip, and he averaged 40.2% from the field, including a career-low 32.6% from beyond the arc.