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James Harden High School & College Scouting Report

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Sweet Lou 4 2, Mar 19, 2018.

  1. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    Thought this was an interesting read given his game today:
    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-scouting-reports-of-todays-biggest-nba-stars

    1. Class: 2007

      247Sports Rank: No. 15 (5 Stars)

      Rivals Rank: No. 11 (5 Stars)



      James Harden was almost clean-shaven when he was preparing to leave Artesia High School, though the follicular forest would soon start flourishing at Arizona State. Even back then, when Arizona, UCLA, USC, Washington and Washington State were all fighting for his services, he was viewed as a dominant offensive threat.

      DraftExpress' Mike Schmidt identified the tools that remain his strengths for the Houston Rockets after watching Artesia take on Mater Dei in March 2007:

      "Harden displayed his ability to get to the hoop from the start of the game against Mater Dei. He possesses great control of his body, and finishes with great strength at the basket. He finished numerous layups in traffic after taking contact from much taller opposing players.

      Though he didn’t display it on Saturday, Harden has developed a reputation for being a great outside shooter. He has a quick and effective stroke, releasing the ball high and with good rotation (though he lacks elevation). At this point, it also appears that Harden may have combo guard potential. His ability to see the floor led to some great looks for his teammates, and he also can break the defender down off the dribble and dish to the open man. "

      But one thing is vastly different:

      "Defensively, Harden seems to be very well-rounded at this point. He moves his feet well and always keeps good positioning to recover when helping out. In addition to his solid fundamentals, he has quick hands and good anticipation skills," Schmidt went on to write.

      And back then, Harden expressed similar sentiments:

      "I don't think I have one aspect of my game that I'm really good at," he told DevilDigest.com before his freshman season in Tempe. "I just do everything OK and I need to improve on everything. I have a 7-foot wingspan, so that helps me get to a lot of loose balls on defense. My quickness also helps me on my defense."
     
    #1 Sweet Lou 4 2, Mar 19, 2018
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  2. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    And here is his college:
    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/179386-nba-draft-prospects-james-harden-arizona-state

    James Harden: An Interesting NBA Draft Prospect
    BLEACHER REPORTMAY 20, 2009




    [​IMG]
    If you like what you read here, check out my blog Ballin is a Habit.

    For a complete listing of the NBA Draft prospects, click here.

    Stats: 20.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 3.4 t/o's, 48.9 percent FG, 35.6 percent 3PT's, 75.6 percent FT

    Listed Size: 6'5", 218 lb, 8/26/89 (19 years old)



    About Him: James Harden is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft class...the main reason being that everyone seems to be talking about his shortcomings much more than what he can actually do as a player.

    And despite how good he was at Arizona State the last two seasons, he does have some flaws as a prospect. The biggest issue for most scouts will be his athleticism, or relative lack thereof. Harden will not be entering the dunk contest, and he lacks an explosive first step.

    As a result, a lot of critics worry that Harden will not be able to finish at the rim in the NBA (although, according to Draft Express's stat analysis, he was one of the best wings this year finishing at the rim).
     
    #2 Sweet Lou 4 2, Mar 19, 2018
  3. cheke64

    cheke64 Member

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    I don't think he'll make the NBA
     
    #3 cheke64, Mar 19, 2018
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  4. mrm32

    mrm32 Member

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    He'll be lucky to finish Third Team All NBA.
     
    #4 mrm32, Mar 19, 2018
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  5. BigMaloe

    BigMaloe Contributing Member

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    We should offer Kevin Martin and take a shot rather than stay in the mediocrity treadmill
     
    #5 BigMaloe, Mar 19, 2018
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  6. Nook

    Nook Member

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    I have zero criticism of Harden's defense this year. He has been above average defensively overall and has been very good in crunch time. James deserves a lot of credit, but so does CP3 who is (contrary to reports) still a very, very good defender.

    I have always thought the criticism of Harden's athleticism was over blown.
     
    #6 Nook, Mar 19, 2018
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  7. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    A defensive specialist who isn't very good at anything? He'll just be Andre Roberson at best.
     
    #7 napalm06, Mar 19, 2018
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  8. Elephant810

    Elephant810 Member

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    Let's be real man, very few if anyone saw Harden becoming as good as he is...(potentially the best player on a championship level squad)
     
    #8 Elephant810, Mar 19, 2018
  9. Elephant810

    Elephant810 Member

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    Although,
    I do remember one pre-draft interview. JH was supremely confident, almost knowing how tough he would be to guard and how he'd make defenses insanely frustrated dealing with him once he had great players around him.
     
    #9 Elephant810, Mar 19, 2018
  10. apollo33

    apollo33 Member

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    I still remember the narrative about Harden's work ethic, Harden has improved every aspect of his game every year despite his non elite athletic abilities.
     
    #10 apollo33, Mar 19, 2018
  11. heypartner

    heypartner Contributing Member

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    Yeah, but he was taken #3 in one of the best drafts ever,,,certainly Morey's favorite draft, 2009 :D

    right ahead of Tyreke Evans (ROY), then hype-machine, international star Ricky Rubio, then Curry and DeRozan was even #9. Blake was #1 and Thabeet was a 7'3 #2 bust, albeit a consensus high pick.
     
    #11 heypartner, Mar 19, 2018
  12. Loneyroy7

    Loneyroy7 Member

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    LMAO at this scouting report. 'Lacks an explosive first step', yet he has one of the most explosive first steps in the league right now.
     
    #12 Loneyroy7, Mar 19, 2018
  13. Loneyroy7

    Loneyroy7 Member

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    Guys, athleticism is NOT just vertical and dunking.

    Guys like Derozan and PG can jump high but aren't very quick. Harden is a more explosive athlete than both. Harden at the combine had a faster sprint than John Wall.

    That's why when people try to downgrade James' athleticism it irks me. His first step is right at top of the league and his combination of quickness, strength, and handles has never been seen before at the guard position.
     
    #13 Loneyroy7, Mar 19, 2018
  14. RockWest

    RockWest Contributing Member

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    This kid can potentially be a solid rotation player.
     
    #14 RockWest, Mar 19, 2018
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  15. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    low key traits he's been incredible in:
    energy
    work ethic
    pain tolerance
     
    #15 Invisible Fan, Mar 19, 2018
  16. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Contributing Member

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    Sounds like a player that ends up finishing 2nd in MVP voting not once but twice. Pathetic.
     
    #16 steddinotayto, Mar 19, 2018
  17. Elephant810

    Elephant810 Member

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    The most optimistic view from experts saw JH potentially becoming an all star level player (averaging around 20 ppg) that could be the third best player on a championship level team. I highly doubt Presti even thought Harden could carry an average team to the playoffs, like he did in his early days with the Rockets and last season, let alone garner serious consideration for the MVP award.

    In all likelihood Presti knew he already had a team stacked with elite young talent very close to completing before draft JH. Thus drafting Harden wasn't necessarily about getting the most gifted player available but rather addressing a need. That is, a high value player to lead the second unit, which Harden proved to do quite well.

    Lastly, keep in mind that Presti took major heat for drafting JH so high, when Evans was available - whom was overwhelmingly considered the better prospect...
     
    #17 Elephant810, Mar 19, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2018
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