I think he will always get better, how much better I don’t know Mentally though I think he can improve drastically and think he already has
I think he just needs to make an offensive move earlier in the shot clock during the 3rd & 4th quarters. He's probably gassed by then but that's where improving his stamina & endurance can help.
I've seen this before and I'm not tryna argue. But I just want to know when that genuinely happens. Like highlights or anything. Cause I rarely rarely ever see Harden get that many catch and shoot opportunities. If you have any stats thats good too cause maybe I just missed it.
He even has the perfect teammate with which to emulate, in CP3. The way CP3 uses the pick, goes in and then stops, so that the defender trailing the play actually runs into him...that's an example of having eyes in the back of your head, because you can see where the 4 defenders are in your peripheral and direct vision, and feel the 5th defender on either your right side or left side. Gauge the situation, deftly move to an open space and let the midrange fly. Both CP3 and Harden's games are pretty much at their peaks, but they could learn a lot from each other.
I want him to work on his post establishment/step back midrange for late game heroics and to keep the momentum on our side when things get tight in big games.
Add that 2014-15 Mid range shot back to his game. And increase his % on catch and shoot shots.....and boy looky here
He doesn't need anything for the regular season. He needs something to go to when he's dead tired in the playoffs and doesn't have the legs for a 3-point shot. He also needs something to go to when the refs swallow their whistle in the playoffs and allow defenses to foul hard on every drive. I think a running floater or anything else he can release before being pummeled by the defense.
Lots of good ideas here - James has improved noticeably every summer. Frankly I'm surprised he doesn't get more credit for the strides he has made each offseason over the last 4 years. I could see value in all the things mentioned here but I think the focus needs to be on what he can add to his game to help him deep in the playoff rounds. - More consistent 3pt shooting would be huge - adding a mid range floater to complement the deceleration/pullup move might help him get a groove when his shots aren't falling and the opposition is sitting in the paint waiting for him. Teams who want to crowd him at the 3pt line and meet him at the rim will have to give him that shot if they want to play him that way. - improving his stamina/working on getting a little lighter or maybe learning to stagger his minutes lighter in the 1st half would all help him with the deep 4th quarter stretch. I know James really likes to get into a groove early on and get a lot of minutes in the first half but it does him a disservice later in tight games when every little bit helps. Really anything he does is icing on the cake though - he is still one of the greatest iso scorers of all time, a passing savant, a high b-ball IQ guy, and an expert at creating shots for others - he has even turned into a passable defender when he needs to be. The thing that prevented him from getting a title this year was CP's injury. Harden can't go 1 All Star vs 4 All Stars for long stretches - not even Lebron(aka the GOAT) can do that.
i like the way CP3 sets up his midrange shot, but i'd actually prefer harden using the glass (like thomas/dumars) as opposed to chris' method. this is because when you use the glass you can put a much higher arc on the shot without having to really even jump to get it over the defense. CP3's midrange shot requires him to create a lot of lift and then release at the top of his jump with his back arched, often even falling/fading back. so this kind of shot requires a lot more effort to get off. it's interesting to me that for what seems like the first time in his career, lebron started using the grounded midrange bankshot from the corners that i'm talking about in these past playoffs too.
I think he can add some cutting to his game and looking for more opportunities to play off-ball. Stamina is key because we saw what he's like when he's locked in on defense. If he can do some scoring while playing at that level, we good.
Increase his offensive versatility so that he doesn't just jack a lot of 3s when he's clearly not hitting them.
Cutting to the basket would help Mid Range of course Honestly . . . Just another summer with CP3 will definitely help I think the natural improvement of familiarity will help I want LeBron but If he does not come I think the Rockets can still be contenders Hell . .. If they had gotten ANYTHING from RYNO and MBah Moute (as in him not being injured) they have rings Rocket River
