[Yahoo Sports] Harden has had to adjust his offensive game this season

I didn't see this article poster yet, but it has a balanced take on Harden's defensive and offensive game.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/housto...streak-seven-james-harden-205700207--nba.html

Author describes Harden's defensive problems. Then he said this:

However, in the grand scheme of things, Harden is still worth his max-level contract for one major reason: He has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.

Harden can score in pretty much every way imaginable. He is lethal in the high-and-roll and pick-and-pop game. He's an above-average 3-point shooter. He can operate in the mid-post and the low-post, using his strength to beat smaller or weaker defenders. He's a menace in the lane, utilizing his two steps better than anyone not named Manu Ginobili. He has mastered the art of drawing fouls by holding the ball out in front of him, enticing defenders to take a swipe, which usually leads to a foul call. He is extremely creative while on the move, showing the ability to finish with a teardrop, runner, step-back or side-step, depending on where the defense is positioned.

In today's game, it's rare to see a player with such a well-rounded offensive game. What makes Harden's success even more amazing is that he lacks elite length and athleticism, two qualities almost synonymous with greatness at the NBA level, especially for guards.

The majority of complaints made about Harden's offensive abilities pertain to his propensity to go one on one with his defender in isolation sets. When Houston's offense gets a little too isolation-heavy, the team tends to go on long scoring droughts, something that they've gotten better at avoiding during their current win streak. But what many people fail to realize is that those iso sets, combined with spacing (which led to a lot of 3-point shots) drove Houston's offense last year, before Parsons became the all-around player he is today and before Howard was manning the 5-spot.

Last season, it was up to Harden to create, take, and make shots, and he did that about as well as anyone in the league.

This season, with the signing of Howard and the improvement of youngsters like Parsons, Lin, Jones and D-Mo, Harden has the luxury of leaning on his teammates, but that's not as easy as it sounds. Harden went from being the only guy on the team who could create his own shot consistently to being one of a handful, and the transition has been tough for him. At times he's looked selfish, but in reality, Harden was just acting out of reflex.

The argument can be made that no one on the Rockets has had to adjust their mode of attack more than Harden, but he's finally figuring out how to share the workload with his teammates.