James Harden news: 'He's trying to fit in' our system, says Doc Rivers

James Harden was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers after growing disgruntled with his situation with the Brooklyn Nets.

Steve Nash's rotations and overall coaching style, Kyrie Irving being in and out of the lineup, and disagreements in offensive philosophy were the main reasons for him wanting out.

The initial results for Harden in Philly were great, as the Sixers won their first four games with "The Beard" in the lineup.

However, he is still trying to find his niche in Doc Rivers's system, as different things are expected out of him in Philadelphia than they were in Brooklyn.

"We had a good talk today, James and I," Rivers said after the Sixers' most recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

"He's trying to fit in and get guys going and I told him, 'No thank you.' I said, 'You'll get going and we'll figure it out. We just need you to be you. Don't worry about everyone else. As long as you and Joel are in the right spots, we'll figure out everyone else."

"But we need you to think of yourself as a scorer, not the way you played in Brooklyn where you were a point guard trying to run the team.' We want him to be the James (he's been), and tonight he was. That was a big step for us. I think that was really good."

Harden finished that game with 32 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, as he mirrored more of the Harden we saw with the Houston Rockets with his step-back threes, quick bursts to the rim, and ability to draw fouls.

The one critique that has never gone away from Harden is his inability to get it done in the postseason despite making it as deep as the Western Conference Finals.

He has a tendency to put up very bad shooting numbers in these games, but last year with Brooklyn, he embraced being the playmaker next to Irving and Durant, which allowed him opportunities to pick his spots to score.

Now with the Sixers, it's no longer going to be like that. He'll have his opportunities to set Joel Embiid up to score, but he's going to need to find that same aggression that has once earned him an MVP.

If he puts up another stinker in the playoffs this season and things get ugly in Philly, he'll be viewed as someone who quits on their team, can't handle adversity, and can't get along with his teammates.

But if he gets it done, he'll be vindicated for forcing his way out of both Houston and Brooklyn and will be well on his way to earning one last huge payday with the Sixers.