Charles Barkley Is In Wait And See Mode With James Harden Because ‘He Looked Cooked’

The Inside the NBA Crew has returned for another season of rowdy studio entertainment for the NBA’s season opening matchup between the Celtics and Sixers. It’s a delight to see the iconic Inside crew on our tv sets once again creating TV magic that other networks have been chasing for years. Charles Barkley wasted no time firing off his hottest takes on the Eastern Conference contenders with the biggest question marks this season. Of course, the seasoned studio analyst required no time to ramp up for the season. Barkley started with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, and questioned whether James Harden had enough in the tank to propel the Sixers to a title. In Barkley’s own words, Harden “looked cooked.”

Harden’s hamstring is one of the single biggest questions in the NBA this season. If Harden can regain even a sliver of the explosiveness he possessed before suffering the injury in 2021, that would supercharge the Sixers offense to a very dangerous level. But injuries, especially soft tissue injuries, can be rather fickle and Barkley is correct in his assessment that you can’t really know if you’re fully recovered until the real games are played. He also noted that it may not just be the hamstring, but father time catching up, as you can be in great shape as you get older but still not have it, as he recalls going through personally his last two years in the league.

Barkley also expressed concerns about the Nets when he said, “They could win the championship or burn that thing down by Christmas.” Sir Charles isn’t a writer, but that should be the body paragraph for every Nets season preview on the Internet. Inside the NBA is already off to a fantastic start.