Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, said that he wants guard James Harden to be like
“scoring Magic Johnson” for his team this year.
The remarks were made by Rivers during a conversation on NBA Right Now (45 seconds in).
Rivers mentioned, “I believe we have talked a lot about him being a facilitator… but I would like him to
be James Harden too” I don’t know if I would mix a scoring Magic Johnson, but that’s what I would like
him to be.
“I would like him to be like James Harden, but I would also like him to be the coach of this basketball
team. Therefore, in a number of ways, his position is improving for our team, and all I ask is that he
continue to think, “Do each.”
When Harden was with the Houston Rockets, he was a dominant scorer who led the NBA in points per
game from 2017-18 to 2019-20.However, over the past two seasons with the Rockets, Brooklyn Nets,
and 76ers, he has become more of a facilitator and deferred more on the scoring end.

Over the course of the past two seasons, he has averaged 10.5 assists per game. His 21.0 points per
game this year was his lowest since 2011-12, when he was the third option on an Oklahoma City
Thunder team that also included Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Regarding the comparison to Johnson, Magic was best known for his exceptional facilitating abilities
with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, who won five NBA titles under his direction. He had a career
average of 11.2 assists per game and led the NBA in assists four times.