On Feb. 25, James Harden made a brilliant first impression for the third time in his career, finishing with 27 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and a season-best +35 in his debut with the Sixers–a 133–102 blowout against the Timberwolves.

One moment in particular really stood out. Early in the second quarter, Harden waited on the right wing with his hands by his side, looking on as Tobias Harris attempted to save a broken play on the opposite side of the floor.

Normally the one who dictates how his team’s possessions end, Harden does not often find himself in situations like this. And when he does, his feet typically don’t budge until it’s time to trot back on defense. But here, on his best behavior, motivated and caring, Harden sprung into motion.

As Harris made his move, Harden scampered toward the corner, a baseline drift that would be described as unremarkable for 99.9% of the NBA’s guards but semishocking when done by someone who hasn’t done this for most of his career, including the last two seasons. (I watched every Harden three since he left Houston and zero were like that one.)

By the time Harris went airborne beneath the basket, Harden was wide open in the opposite corner. He caught the pass in his shooting pocket with 2.1 seconds on the shot clock, rose and fired while fading out of bounds. Swish.

This sequence isn’t significant for auguring Harden’s sudden desire to become Duncan Robinson. Instead, it was a reminder of how invested the three-time scoring champ can be when everything goes exactly how he wants it to. Few understand this more clearly than Sixers president Daryl Morey, who knew the version of Harden he’d be acquiring from the Nets—in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first-round picks—would be invigorated by a situation that could make him happy.

How long that lasts is another question that will inevitably be revisited, but so far Harden has decided to look like a streamlined version of his perennial MVP candidate self, still undefeated in a Sixers uniform.

Heading into tonight’s matchup against his former team, Harden is averaging 24.6 points, 12.4 assists and 7.6 rebounds over the last month—impressive numbers that don’t begin to describe the night-and-day difference between how Harden looked before and after the trade deadline. In Brooklyn he shifted between dynamic, languid and dyspeptic, far less efficient than what we’ve grown accustomed to.

There were several ways to explain his decline—his tender hamstring, a league-wide crackdown on foul hunters and a surprisingly makeshift supporting cast (Kevin Durant’s knee injury, Joe Harris’s ankle surgery and Kyrie Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated forced Harden to operate in lineups that couldn’t space the floor) are a start—but the results were still worrisome.

His signature stepback was closer to a white flag than something opponents should fear. He shot a career-low 54% at the rim. His turnover rate ballooned to a career-high 19.8%. His true shooting percentage slipped to 57.6, a mark unseen since he was a rookie.

All of that has flipped in Philadelphia, where once again he’s an unstoppable pick-and-roll playmaker who is unguardable one-on-one and can seemingly get to the restricted area whenever he wants. Keep in mind we’re dealing with a five-game sample size, but Harden’s PER is exactly 10 points higher with the Sixers than it was with the Nets. His true shooting is 72.6. His assist rate (53.7%) has never been higher. A whopping 49% of his shots are coming at the rim, and he’s making 69% of them.

When he doesn’t directly score around the basket, Harden’s drives either result in a lob or pocket pass to Joel Embiid—where total destruction is immediate—or yield a ticket to the free throw line. He’s drawing a shooting foul on 28.4% of his attempts (up from 18.8% in Brooklyn; his career best is 21.7%, back in 2013).

Harden hasn’t been isolating as often—from a league-leading 7.6 possessions per game in Brooklyn down to 5.0—but when he does it’s effortless, bearing a 71.1 effective field goal percentage while he draws a foul 36% of the time.

Last week, Harden toyed with Evan Mobley, a 20-year-old defensive phenom seemingly built to keep guys like Harden at bay. He kept the rookie off balance and kept getting wherever he wanted. It was … astonishing: 

(Here’s how that individual battle looked in January: