With the 2024-25 NBA season officially more than three weeks in, now is as good of a time as ever to check in on some old friends of the Sixers. Some have found great success elsewhere, while others are struggling.
Buddy Hield, Golden State Warriors
Stats: 11 games (1 start), 24.5 minutes, 17.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game, 46.7 three-point percentage, 8.2 three-point attempts per game, 65.9 true shooting percentage
Golden State has thrived with a new-look roster that includes two former Sixers shooting guards replacing franchise icon Klay Thompson, who faced the Warriors for the first time in his career on Tuesday. Hield has been a massive revelation for Golden State, with his terrific three-point stroke making the team capable of keeping many of the Thompson-centric areas of its playbook open.
Hield has done in Golden State what he could only do in brief spurts during his time with the Sixers: be the most decisive three-point shooter possible. He is just letting it fly with absolute confidence, and that is a powerful weapon when combined with some of the most accurate shooting chops of any player in NBA history.
Not only is Hield playing some of the best basketball of his career so far, he has legitimately been one of the very best offensive players in the entire NBA this season.
De'Anthony Melton, Golden State Warriors
Stats: 6 games (2 starts), 20.2 minutes, 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals per game, 37.1 three-point percentage, 5.8 three-point attempts per game
Melton missed an early five-game stretch due to a back issue — a fairly ominous development given the degree to which back injuries derailed Melton in his last year and change with the Sixers. But he is back now, and for the time being Melton appears to have worked his way into Warriors head coach Steve Kerr's starting lineup.
The 26-year-old Melton's first start for the Warriors came on Sunday, and he gave them a massive lift in an impressive road win against the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, grabbing 10 rebounds and nabbing three steals.
As long as Melton can remain healthy, having someone who can reliably handle premium defensive assignments at either guard position next to Stephen Curry is a huge asset for Golden State, and Melton's quality spot-up shooting makes him one of their best options to close games as someone who can be relied upon on both ends of the floor.
MORE: Sixers Ties: Pacific Division
Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons
Stats: 13 games (13 starts), 34.3 minutes, 13.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks per game, 44.9 field goal percentage, 29.1 three-point percentage, 52.5 true shooting percentage
Harris' return to Detroit has not exactly gone as planned so far. While the Pistons have been extremely competitive, Harris' efficiency has gone into the tank. The sample size remains small, but his current true shooting percentage is lower than it has ever been in a full season, and a glance at his game log does not produce appetizing sights.
One interesting trend with Harris' season is his shot-blocking. Harris has never averaged more than 0.8 blocks per game in a full season, but is at 1.3 blocks per game so far in 2024-25. Harris has recorded at least one block in 11 of his 13 appearances this season, including two games with three.
Still, Harris will need to become a much more effective scorer moving forward to pay off the Pistons' two-year, $52 million contract. His 4-of-15 shooting line during Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks was not pretty.
Paul Reed, Detroit Pistons
Stats: 6 games (0 starts), 10.3 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.7 rebounds per game, 63.2 field goal percentage
Reed is not a member of Detroit's regular rotation for the time being, serving as Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff's third-string center. "BBall Paul" did receive a three-game rotation cameo when starter Jalen Duren suffered an injury, but with Duren back on the floor it is unclear what Reed's path is to consistent playing time. He is blocked by Duren and Detroit mainstay Isaiah Stewart for the time being.
MORE: Harris, Reed reflect on Sixers tenures
James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers
Stats: 12 games (12 starts), 20.7 points, 8.8 assists, 8.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals per game, 36.2 field goal percentage, 31.3 three-point percentage, 8.0 three-point attempts per game, 52.7 true shooting percentage
Harden's current usage rate is higher than it has been since his final full season with the Houston Rockets, a jarring reality for the 35-year-old who is being forced to ride solo with Paul George in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard in street clothes. Harden has done the best he can despite incredibly difficult circumstances, but is still posting the worst efficiency marks of his NBA career by far.
Given the makeup of the Clippers' roster sans George and (for the time being) Leonard, though, head coach Ty Lue does not have many options better than asking Harden to continue to generate offense on his own. (The emergence of Norman Powell as a dynamic three-level scorer has been one of the better stories of the season, however — Powell has always been a bucket-getter, but he has taken his skills to another level this season.)
Leonard's indefinite absence has no end in sight, putting Harden in an unusual holding pattern as far as role is concerned. If Leonard ever returns and plays his regular brand of basketball, Harden should be able to improve these efficiency numbers quite a bit.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice
