You make a lot of good points, but then say that he could be a solid team defender if he understood these things. Mentally is the problem, on team defense he just loses track of the ball and he doesn't understand the situations. That can be fixed with coaching, it is the physical attributes that cannot be fixed...but you know that doesn't even matter and also undersized? Harden is smaller than Wade. To say he has no lateral quickness is not fair either, to even do the moves he does on offense means he has the agility to keep up on defense. Manu is a great defender...but then again mostly everyone on San Antonio can defend. Just look at the coach. If you let a guy like JVG or Thibs get a hold of Harden I guarantee you he'll look like a different player defensively. Also I agree it's not lack of effort. It's just a lack of understanding situations. Don't go dig at the big if the person you are leaving is a shooter. Keep your eye on the man and not the ball... But then our other guards do that kind of thing sometimes as well and will continue to do it unless the coaches tell them to stop.
I mean to say that Wade is smaller than Harden. You can argue whose the stronger of the two, Harden is pretty strong... Any ways defense isn't about physical abilities. It's about reaction and experience and knowledge. That is how guys like Bowen and Battier became great defenders.
Synergy's numbers suggest that Harden's opponents score roughly 10.7 points per game against him, at a clip of 0.93 points per play. As a team, we allow 0.90 points per play according to Synergy. So, Harden's opponents score more efficiently against him, but not very often. This coincides with what is fairly apparent when watching the games -- we tend to "hide" him defensively by putting him on the less frequent scorers, but because he tends to play soft defense they score more efficiently against him.
honestly, all I want is for him to hit his rotations and consistently raise a hand. It doesn't require that much more energy, I'd think; I don't even need him to be energetic, or super quick on his feet, just raise. a. hand. to make it a contested shot. (They did studies and simply raising a hand decreasing shooting success by 10%)
Harden is deceptively athletic. I have not seen any issues concerning him physically not being athletic enough to guard his man. Also, lateral quickness and straight ahead quickness are very different. I have not notices Harden being laterally challenged. He can be a good defender, he has the size (6'5" 220 lbs) and agility needed. The only thing I do not agree with is that there are times that it looks like the effort is there. I think that is in large part due to him being exhausted.
That is a ridiculous excuse. Everybody that hits that floor is tired. Everybody is playing at a bruising pace. You don't think Omer is tired having to cover for all of our defensive lapses? You don't think Parsons is tired having to attack the seams in the defense repeatedly because teams double Lin & Harden. You don't think Moriss & PPatt aren't exhausted having to grab 2 rebounds combined. (LMAO I couldn't even type this without bursting out laughing).
Harden carries the load on offense though. I agree that he needs to conserve more of his energy for defense but let's not pretend Harden does not play 40 min each night using a million eurosteps that drain a lot of energy out of you.
Forgot somebody. You don't think Lin is tired having to brick wide open 3's on the regular. That ish is exhausting.
Carrying the offensive load night in and night out does take a lot of energy but still need to make a better effort on defense. I think fans are more forgiving because he's still a big positive on the court.
This is true as Chandler often plays the better wing. However I will point out that a PPP will be higher because the man he is playing is less likely to take a shot unless it is a high % shot. For example, look at Tyson Chandler. He shoots a very high % but takes very few shots.
That's really not fair. Whiles Harden do indeed need to improve on his team defense, implying that he does not shoulder the biggest burden on this team is just flat out untrue. When you play 40 minutes a night and is the team's primary ball handler, playmaker and scorer, you are bound to be absolutely exhausted, regardless of defense.
The guys that are top 3 in minutes is Harden Parsons & Lin in that order. Lin & Parsons consistently give effort on D. Harden gives little to none. Yes Harden carries the biggest burden offensively. But you don't think Lin & Parsons who carry both offensive & defensive burdens aren't exhausted as well? Switching from offensive effort to defensive effort over & over for 30+ minutes a game is just as hard as giving only offensive effort & doing little to nothing on D. When Lin has to box out centers (which he does at least once a game) you don't think that is hard? What about when Parsons plays D grabs the steal & then runs the fast break by himself that isn't easy either. All of those guys are just as exhausted as Harden is. I am sorry but that inference that harden is doing the most work out there therefore it is ok for him to slack off on D is ridiculous. Defensive effort is just as hard as offensive effort. And trying to do both consistently for an entire NBA as opposed to doing just one is just as exhausting.
Yeah, physically he has the tools to guard most guards in the NBA. I do think the effort is there as well. Last night he chased down a player that was leaking out (was it barnes or Green?) and he did not get the block but he did get the foul. He does this on a nightly basis as well. You'll also see him get visibly upset at times when a rotation is missed, there was one moment last night where he did so and I'm not sure if he was upset at someone else or himself. So I don't think he doesn't care. I think it's just a lack of understanding what he's supposed to be doing rotation wise and team defense wise, so instead of doing he thinks about what it is he should be doing. If you add that in with his usual calm and laid back demeanor then people will say he's not trying.
I don't see a lack of effort on Harden's part. I see a player who just isn't very aware on the defensive side of the ball. Definitely not a want to or effort thing more of an experience thing. He has been a 6th man offensive machine his entire career up until coming to Houston, being a defensive stopper hasn't been high on the priority list. I really just think he and more importantly the team as a unit just need more time together.
But the reason the man is less likely to take the shot is because he tends to be less efficient with the shots that are available to him. So I wouldn't draw your conclusion. Across all NBA players that have played at least 300 minutes, there actually is a slightly positive correlation between "plays per minute" and PPP.
It is amazing.... screw all the evidence otherwise..... According to Roxxy, Harden is a horrendous sloth that often times walks back on the defensive end while swigging a martini. Meanwhile Jeremy Lin frantically and heroically defends the Rockets basket as James Harden laughs and waits under the other teams basket for an easy two like a greedy rat.
