(Vantage Sports) James Harden Is Truly an Impactful Two-Way Player

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http://www.vantagesports.com/#story/VIY6qSkAAC93XrOz/james-harden-is-truly-an-impactful-two-way-player

Professional athletes are usually told by their coaches and mentors to “ignore the noise” from fans and media, because it can only serve as a distraction. But, for James Harden, listening to and learning from the noise might be the best thing that ever happened for his NBA career.

The 25-year-old Houston Rockets shooting guard is once again having a tremendous season on the offensive end of the floor, but after dealing with harsh criticism for his lackluster defense the past few years, he has finally started to step his D game up.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey recently called Harden a "two-way player and MVP" and tweeted out a YouTube video that details Harden’s improvements on defense.


After watching a handful of Rockets games this year, and that terrific compilation of fundamentally sound and solid-effort plays, it is clear that Harden has begun to exert the same intensity on the defensive end of the floor that he did as a young player in Oklahoma City.

Vantage Sports data back up this eye-test, showing significant improvements by Harden in nearly every notable defensive statistic. Here are ten Vantage Stats for Harden’s 2014-2015 season so far, compared with his numbers from last year.


According to Vantage Stats, Harden ranks 23rd of all qualified players in the NBA allowing only 0.78 Points Allowed per Shot, which leads the Rockets. This stat is also a significant increase from last year’s sieve total of 0.99. Harden is consistently displaying effort not only in his man-to-man defense but also in his off-ball awareness.

Part of the reason shooters aren’t scoring at the same rate against Harden is that he’s simply contesting shots more frequently. Vantage’s Contest+ measures all shots that a player blocks, alters, or contests, and Harden comes in at 44.4 percent, which ranks right around league average. That is a notable increase from last year's rate of 38.2 percent.

Harden is currently averaging a career-high 2.6 steals per 100 possessions, in large part due to his rediscovered aggression. With 1.6 Deflections per 100 Chances, Harden ranks in the NBA’s top 25 for qualified players. In addition, his 1.74 Pressure Rate per 100 Chances isn’t a world-beater, since it’s below league average, but it certainly beats his paltry 1.22 rating from last season.

Harden is an early MVP candidate not just because of his scoring, passing ability, and improved defense but also his increased activity crashing the defensive boards. He’s currently averaging 7.4 defensive rebounds per 100 possessions, which blows away his previous high of 5.9. This is crucial, since a defensive possession isn't over until the rebound is secured.

Vantage Stats once again shed more light on the basic box-score data, showing that Harden has nearly double the Blockouts per 100 Opportunities as he did last year, with 7.04 in 2014, to 3.57 last season. With a 43.71 Pursuit Rate, which measures rebound chances where a player moves out of his area in pursuit of the rebound, it’s clear that Harden is making it a point to be the aggressor and snatch rebounds.

Harden is finally showcasing the fundamentals and hustle he displayed at Arizona State and in his first couple of years with Oklahoma City, which has played a vital role in Houston’s remarkable 96.5 defensive rating, which ranks second in the NBA.

Of course, James Harden will never win any awards solely for his defense, but it sure doesn’t hurt his chances when it comes to MVP voting. If Harden sustains this success throughout the season, the Houston Rockets will be a gargantuan threat in the Western Conference Playoffs, even more so than anyone would’ve imagined before the season began.