NBA Hoops

Iman Shumpert defends James Harden from conditioning criticisms

Iman Shumpert defends James Harden from conditioning criticisms

The last time we saw Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, he was struggling to be productive out on the floor in Game 6 against the Miami Heat. Harden only had 11 points on nine shots with his team facing elimination and he only took two shots after halftime.

After that, a lot of questions popped up about whether Harden is truly healthy and good to go out on the floor. He has been dealing with a hamstring issue that has held him back a bit and one has to believe that he was affected by it in a big way as he was not able to have the same explosiveness out on the floor.

Harden has been back in the gym working out as it seems that he will have a full offseason after having to rehab in the past. Harden’s former teammate with the Houston Rockets, Iman Shumpert, came to his defense as he brought up the hamstring issue amid criticisms of his conditioning as well:

You can’t do cardio on a hamstring bro. The one thing you can’t do. Y’all mad at the man for having a hamstring injury and then putting on some weight…His hamstring was hurt. He can’t do cardio. He’s gonna gain a little weight, man. I know y’all see it. He got the fat boy traits. He got it!

The Sixers have to hope that Harden actually having a full offseason to work out and not worry about the hamstring will do wonders for him in the 2022-23 season. The future Hall of Famer is still a star in this league, but he clearly lacked the explosiveness he had in the past and maybe a full offseason will help him get back to where he used to be.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Sixers Wire…