[ESPN Insider] Truth about James Harden's D

Monday, December 8, 2014
Truth about James Harden's D
By Amin Elhassan
ESPN Insider

James Harden
James Harden is an MVP candidate for sure, but is he really a two-way player? No.

James Harden has been much maligned in the past for his defense, and rightfully so, as his effort on that end has been less than exemplary. With the Rockets off to a 16-4 start despite the continued absence of Dwight Howard, and ranking second in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing 96.5 points per 100 possessions, it's fair to ask whether Harden has indeed improved as a defender.

In fact, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey even retweeted a YouTube supercut of Harden's "improvement" as a defender, declaring him a "two-way player" and an MVP candidate. Is he right?

Ground rules

A few things: First, Harden is a fine player, one of the best offensive weapons in the league, albeit one with a sometimes aesthetically unpleasing style. He's already a legitimate MVP candidate, regardless of whether he's experienced an awakening on the defensive end. The idea that the MVP must be a dominant force on both ends of the floor is flawed; it's nice but not necessary.

Second, there's a difference between saying "he's improved" versus "he's a two-way player."

Third, when dealing with defense, there's a level of nuance to be exercised (especially when examining a limited segment of games). It's tempting to look up numbers and run with them, but defense is a "process > results" endeavor; it's just as important to do it the right way as it is to end up with the right result, because winning at the highest level requires execution above all else.

OK, let's get on with it.

Has Harden really improved?

How much of that Rockets D can be attributed to him? Harden's effort level has improved for sure; he's exerting more effort, he's following plays more often and he can string together several possessions in a row without massive defensive breaches.

For him, this constitutes a vast improvement, but this is also akin to the famous Chris Rock standup where he chastises people who proudly make statements like "I take care of MY kids!" That's what you're supposed to do -- it is literally the bare minimum we can ask of any player on the defensive end: burn a calorie.

While a team defensive improvement of this magnitude probably can't be achieved without Harden's improvement, there are other factors that contribute just as much. The addition of Trevor Ariza in the offseason was a tremendous pickup, one that I applauded immediately as an upgrade over the departed Chandler Parsons because Ariza's defensive talents were needed more than Parsons' scoring. Ariza's presence allows the Rockets to "hide" Harden on less complex offensive options; that's not a knock on them (that's the smart thing to do!), but it should be recognized.

Is he a two-way player?

In a word, no. The term "two-way" player is reserved for those who consistently show the ability to be productive on both ends (remembering "productive on the defensive end" is more than just the bottom-line tally). Klay Thompson, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard -- those are the two-way wings of our league. Why isn't Harden? Let's see why.



Poor body language: Harden still exhibits poor body language when playing off ball. In the example above, Harden is matched up with Jameer Nelson, who has cut to the top of the key to go into a dribble handoff with Parsons before going into a pick-and-roll with Tyson Chandler. Because of Harden's lackadaisical approach (commonly known as a "dead body" in coach parlance), he's incapable of reacting quick enough when Nelson goes into his live cut, playing catchup and compromising the team defense. Chandler gets the lob for the dunk, and the slow reaction from the weakside defender is partially to blame, but that play never develops if Harden is more ready to guard Nelson.



Ball-watching: Harden also is still an infamous ball-watcher, showing poor awareness of weakside action, something teams will actively make part of their game plan.

In the above composite screen shot from different games, we see two examples of Harden fixated on the ball and losing track of his man. On the right side, Harden's in a no-man's land; he's not in position to help on the Blake Griffin post-up, or take out DeAndre Jordan's legs to prevent the lob play, or close out to J.J. Redick, but perhaps the most damning part is he doesn't show any recognition of where Redick is. Fading up or down the 3-point line will render any desperate closeout to be misdirected.

The same occurs on the left, where Jameer Nelson has fed Dirk Nowitzki on the high post and moved away along the 3-point line. You can argue that Ariza is playing free safety and will rotate to the first kickout, but Harden's not really aware of where Monta Ellis (the next rotation) is either. Also, notice his straight-up-and-down stance; again, he's a dead body, not an active help defender.

Part of what's helped the Rockets' defensive surge has been their ability to apply "Mathketball" principles (which they've mastered on the offensive end) to their defense; namely, preventing 3s, layups and fouls. It's clear they've instructed their players to run shooters off the 3-point line, with help defense stepping up to prevent penetration and encourage the midrange pull-up. Harden has taken this directive and applied it with zest, often exaggeratedly flying by shooters in an effort to discourage the 3. On many nights, this won't be an issue, as lesser offensive players will either pump-fake and swing or try to drive hard to the paint.



Wild closeouts: In the screenshot above, Harden's flying by Stephen Curry while the help defense is ready to step up and stop potential penetration.

The problem is Curry's a great shooter who is also a brilliant offensive player. He sees the defense rotating, and rather than drive, he sidesteps along the 3-point line and takes a shot that has no chance of being contested by anyone other than Harden -- had he not gone Olympic long jump with his closeout. Harden could still execute the team defensive principle (run shooters off the 3-point line) without overcommitting to the point of not having any chance of recovery.

These aren't cherry-picked breakdowns but rather examples of how Harden routinely plays defense. On many nights, these issues do not actually manifest themselves into made baskets for the opponent, either due to lack of recognition or lack of execution.

It doesn't hurt that 11 of Houston's games have come against teams that are below .500 and they've played the 20th most difficult schedule, according to Hollinger's Power Rankings. But the main point is that even though the results are improved, the process still has a long way to go, and ultimately, it's the process that will determine how good the Rockets defense will be when it really matters.