In the years since the Houston Rockets drafted James Harden, he has changed so much. Making his way to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets to then eventually join the Philadelphia 76ers. With Joel Embiid at his side, they did really well together.

There remained one thing constant throughout all these days: people talked about his weight. This was especially true in the postseason when things got worse and the criticism worsened. Particularly with the performance, Harden delivered against the Miami Heat in game 6. Harden had 11 points and four turnovers. During the game, he attempted just 9 shots in 44 minutes and looked to be out of sorts. There was a lot of discussion about it.

As fans are noticing an overall decrease in his speed and directing criticism toward his weight. The criticism has become much more brutal. In response to these comments, Iman Shumpert has come out in support of his former teammate.

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While his time with Houston was not very long, he has played alongside Harden as he knows what he is capable of. In terms of stats, Harden was one of the best players when he was with the Rockets. In the nine seasons he spent with the team, he averaged 29.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 7.7 apg. 

The former teammate of James Harden steps up for him

As before, this trolling also came in his previous season, the 2020-21 season. Shumpert briefly touched on this issue and mentioned that this issue keeps being brought up periodically. According to Shumpert:

“I mean, it’s James bro, he’s never been skinny,” said Shumpert. “You can’t do cardio on a hamstring, it’s like the one thing you can’t do. Y’all mad at the man for having a hamstring injury and putting on some weight… His hamstring was hurt. He can’t do cardio, he’s gonna gain a little weight. I know y’all see it he got the fat boy traits.”

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The fans are expecting the Sixers guard to be in top shape given the current situation. Also, what Iman said makes sense as he is a human being.

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Do you think James Harden can find his best form next season? Is 76ers the right match for ‘The Beard?’ Let us know in the comments!