I'm a huge Amick fan, so it's really weird to see him point out how Harden has Ariza to help him, but acts like Klay isn't surrounded by Iggy, Barnes, Green, and Bogut. And all of a sudden he's an "elite" defender now.
None of these STATS matter until the post season and that goes for team records as well. The Warriors may be the best team in the West but I can assure you that there is no punk teams at the lower part of the playoff picture witch include Phoenix, New Orleans, & YES the THUNDER who have beaten the Warriors already and if they add Lopez that makes them even tougher with him and Ibaka down low.
There are 500 players in the NBA (give take?) and hundreds of hundreds of prospects for scouts to look at. I am sure they don't follow every Harden game. Same with the coaches. They cannot physically break down all the film. There will be some lag for them, but there is also bandwagon jumping from fans (claiming he is an good defender) too quickly. Works both ways. Amick did say he was #2 in MVP race, so he's obviously not just a Harden hater. He is right: defensive metrics are not very good, sorry to disappoint y'all. Let's not act like Harden has become elite; he has just gotten better from being an absolute dump.
Who cares what others think. We should just feel fortunate that we have the best 2 guard in the game. You guys crying about power rankings and the such are pretty pathetic.
That poster on here who analyzes individual defensive performances in some games also seemed generally down on Harden's defense. My impression is that Harden was playing defense more with more energy in the beginning of the season, and he's been coasting a bit more of late.
I don't think anyone argues Harden's the best SG in the league. Harden's a monster. But rarely in this league you see a player who plays well on both ends. Klay drops 22+ and guards the opposing best offensive player every play every game. Tremendous tremendous player. In today's league, you can count a handful of guys who drops 20+ and guards an elite offensive player pretty much every night: Klay, Westbrook, Butler, Lebron (if he feels like it). And that's pretty much it. It's a very exclusive group.
All you have to do is ask this question... Which player would you rather build around? James Harden or Klay Thompson. I'd say the vast majority would pick James Harden. That's all you need to know.
This is a r****ded discussion...Klay Thompson is benefiting from defenses focusing their attention on Steph Curry. Klay is a better spot up shooter than Harden, but Harden's playmaking skills are of elite status compared to Klay Thompson. Let Steph Curry go down with his bad ankles and you'll see how quickly the ship will sink
I followed him on Twitter up until last night, you can lose credibility a LOT quicker than you can build it.
Remember when Paul George was the "Best" 2 way guard? Klay is nowhere near the level Harden is. Haters gonna Hate.
That's why recently Harden is able to get his shooting percentage and scoring more points. Coasting on D and focusing on O. He doesn't have the same drive/intensity like he did in the beginning of the season when he was "trying" to prove to players and fans that he can play defense.
Harden is still the best 2 guard in the league. Harden is just more talented. Harden is the better individual scorer and offensive threat, but Klay is the better team oriented/system player.
