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Could Jame Harden run the offense like Nash did to perfection?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by James Hardashian, Jul 23, 2016.

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  1. James Hardashian

    James Hardashian Contributing Member

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    nash executed the dantoni system to perfection. they were a nightmare when we used to play them. now, with talk about running harden at pg..could he run it as perfectly and fluently as nash did?
     
  2. rocketsballin

    rocketsballin Member

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    if u ignore the 10-15 turnovers per game yeah. he can be better than nash cuz he's a much better scorer and defender and rebounder.
     
  3. kevtse

    kevtse Member

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    I hope the better shooters will give Harden chance to get 9+ assists per game. However he is definely going to break his own turnover record tho.
     
  4. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    No. He doesn't have Nash's mindset on the floor. They're just different types of players.
     
  5. Zen Tabak

    Zen Tabak Member

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    i think he'll have less turnovers in a more structured offense and not having to work so hard for every basket
     
  6. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    1. He really doesn't have too.
    2. We still need more consistent shooters
    3. Harden has more strength than Nash. I think Nash had more speed or fluid motion.

    Here is the main thing.
    Harden can IMO Easily average 24 points a game without shooting any threes.
    If he works his midrange game which is quite nice.
    Around the Elbow I will put him against any one.
    Step Back. He might want to work on a Turnaround Jumper

    The reason I bring this up is that he can get by his man but he needs to be a intermediate threat.
    No Beverly going to the basket and running out because you got no shot
    and no passing angles. Need to be able to Stop and Pops, or drive to the rim or pass it


    Rocket River
     
  7. don grahamleone

    don grahamleone Contributing Member

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    I'm just hoping that Harden can pull it back and not force as much this year. I'm hoping the whole team learns to probe for soft spots and the path of least resistance. If we do that, we'll have players with enough energy to play better D as well.

    I guess what I'm looking for is the game to come easier to Harden. I imagine what will make it easier is other guys scoring so the assists better come up even though they're high.

    If Harden averages 10 assists a game, how could he not be MVP?
     
  8. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Nope but he can try.

    Nash was not a scorer, Harden has to sacrifice one huge part of who he is.

    Less scoring and more playmaking, more moving off the ball.
     
  9. JoeBarelyCares

    JoeBarelyCares Contributing Member

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    If MDA is still an offensive genius, he needs to adapt his offensive to Harden's strengths, and not visa versa. Harden and Nash are two different players.
     
  10. OlajuwonFan81

    OlajuwonFan81 Member

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    I agree. Harden will flourish but to compare him to Nash is ridiculous. Nash had arguably the greatest basketball IQ of the modern era. Harden is a different type of player entirely. Instead of asking if he will become Nash, we should be simply asking can he turn the ball over less and play defense yet maintain everything else he does for us on offense?
     
  11. basketballholic

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    The billion dollar question. If we don't acquire a premier distributor (no matter the position) then we are going to spend this season finding that out.

    The billion and one dollar question is if we find out that Harden isn't Nash......will Harden realize he's not Nash....or will he stubbornly contend he is still Nash?

    Of course, I am very highly opinionated (convinced) that he is not Nash. So he'll have to prove it to me before I'll change my mind. But I can become convinced that he can be Nash and not necessarily by him winning a championship either. Because Nash never won a championship. However to be like Nash he has to average in the neighborhood of 11 assists while only turning the ball over around 3.5 times a game. That's a 45% increase in his assists and a 20% decrease in his turnovers.

    Now you could make a case that better shooting is going to increase his assist total. I would agree it likely will. But 3.5 more assists per game? Mmmmmmmm, not likely without decreasing his scoring usage substantially. And is that worth it since James is such an efficient scorer? What about turnovers? Is he going to be able to decrease his turnovers by 20% with this new spacing we haven't had before?

    Maybe he can. Maybe he can be like Nash. If he does I'll recognize it long before the data certifies it. I'll see it on the court.

    The billion and one dollar question is will Harden recognize that he isn't Steve Nash if he really isn't?
     
  12. dharocks

    dharocks Contributing Member

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    Harden's not going to be asked to be Nash. The D'Antoni offense doesn't require a Nash.

    It requires a dominant pick and roll ball-handler, bigs excellent at finishing at the rim, and shooters to space the floor (one of whom should be a competent secondary PnR ballhandler). We have those things.

    The offense is not going to be the concern.
     
    #12 dharocks, Jul 23, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2016
  13. HR Dept

    HR Dept Contributing Member

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    Scoring is the single thing that makes Harden a great basketball player. The playmaking is already there, and Dantoni's offense will have more sets that tells Harden when and where to be while off the ball.

    All Harden has to do is learn to play disciplined, particularly regarding his defense and unforced turnovers.
     
  14. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

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    We aren't as talented offensively as the Nash Suns teams, but as it has been since Harden got to Houston, we will be just fine on offense.
     
  15. Mathloom

    Mathloom Contributing Member

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    How is it perfection if he got no rings?

    Harden can't be Nash, but maybe Nash needed a bit more Harden in him.
     
  16. basketballholic

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    Is Harden a basketball genius?
     
  17. danoman

    danoman Contributing Member

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    We all know Harden is the master at the 6 seconds or less to shoot offence! We'll be alright.
     
  18. MorningZippo

    MorningZippo Member

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    Nash had some of the best handles of any player, ever.

    He was so good at protecting the ball, that he could dribble back and forth underneath the rim, and play like a hockey sweeper. It extended the floor in a way only a few pg's have ever been able to do.

    James Harden's handle is good, but it's nowhere close to Nash or CP3, and probably never will be.

    He'll be good, but his passes will still come off downhill drives, because he can't keep his dribble alive in traffic. While he will definitely be good, but I just can't see Nash type production happening.
     
  19. AirBud#10

    AirBud#10 Member

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    Harden would be doing himself a disservice if he tried to play like Nash, they have some similarities, but they're very different players.

    Harden could definitely take a few things from Nash's game but he's never going to be the passer/shooter/ball-handler Nash was, but at the same time Nash was not nearly as versatile a scorer as Harden is.
     
  20. Chamillionaire

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    Ahhh... that's a NO.
     

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