James Harden / Kevin Martin comparison (Grantland)

nice chart , thanks for sharing , was surprise to see Harden seldom try mid range jumper.

 

Harden got no midrange game, that's why Thunder lost vs. Miami.

 

Absolutely. That's EXACTLY the reason they lost. It had nothing to do with their stubborness with regards to refusing to play Durant at the 4 to combat the Heat smaller lineups, which weren't hurt defensively trying to guard the Thunder, but had a big advantage offensively as it did things like pull Ibaka out from the basket or leave a Shane Battier open in the corner.

Great analysis. You're a f'ing basketball genius!

 

Yeah, the Heat get no credit at all, right? The Heat didn't win, the Thunder just lost.

And for the record, how can Lin be an MVP candidate when he's not even a top 10 players in the league? Hell, he's not even in the top 20!

 

lol fail.

 

I agree. Anytime you lose a series 4-1 it's only because of one player's midrange game.

 

These shooting charts that Grantland did in case u want to see here :

 

Lol he aint lying when he said Harden plays basketball like a video game. His shot chart looked like many of the ones I see in NBA 2K Online.

 

The shooting's a nice bonus, but we have to be fair in that last year was an abnormally bad one for Martin. Assuming he's happy to be out of Houston (post-Gasol trade mopeyness) and has recovered from his shoulder issue, he should bounce back to being a very efficient scorer, especially since he'll have Westbrook and Durant drawing defenders away - something he never enjoyed as a Rocket. On the flipside, Harden is going to start receiving attention from defenses he rarely saw in OKC.

More than the shooting, I expect the biggest aspect in this swap will be playmaking. Harden was a perfect fit with the Thunder since he could negate a lot of Westbrook's ball hogging tendencies. You're now replacing him with a guy known for being a one-dimensional scorer. This could turn into a situation where the Thunder need to play with 3 basketballs on offense.

For us, we get to enjoy Lin, Harden, and possibly White all being able to facilitate the offense. Toss in Asik's ability to pass out of the low or high post, and you're starting to look at a balanced team able to whip the ball around and find the high percentage shot.

Looking forward to it.

 

Dramatic! Thanks.

 

Lin has no heart. That's why the Knicks lost in 1st round

 

Anytime you lose series 4-1 and you were in one possession game in last minute in the three of those games. Who is most to blame:

1. Player A: Averaged 30.6 PPG on .548% shooting. Both career high in one series.
2. Player B: Averaged basically 27/7/7. First point guard ever to that in NBA finals.
3. Player C: Averaged 12.4 PPG on .375% shooting when his regular season stats are 16.8 PPG on 49%

If Thunder had Martin instead Harden before they might be champions now.

 

So basically the chart shows us that Harden is awesome from beyond the arc or converting close to the ring.

Why does he need a midrange game when he had the 2nd best TS% in the entire NBA last season, and doesn't turn it over much?
He's basically a supreme scorer, and the LOL factor is that so many fans on here don't realize it.

 

I won't say that's why they lost, but it is concerning because it will be harder for him to create shots night in and night out on this team. The good thing is he's only 23 and has time to develop a mid-range game if he is willing to put in the work.

 

No...

 

Because he was shutdown by Lakers and Heat in the last postseason. He was exposed for his lack of ability to shot off the dribble now as #1 option he won't nearly be efficient as Martin was(not last year, but in his career).

 

me gusta....

 

my concern is that now that he is the primary scorer, Harden will try to take more midrange shots. In the preseason he had far more midrange attempts than normal, almost in preparation for this situation, and it did not go well. I hope he doesnt start settling, or tries to emulate Kobe. Do what you do James