The official James Harden is not a legitimate #1 option thread

Fair enough, and I agree with you but this team isn't really going anywhere this year and is a developing year for all the players. He has mad potential and we need to give all the players time to mature and grow together. He is facing unreal defenses because he is the alpha dog out there. If we can get a high scoring frontcourt player, I think that will really open up his game and he will be able to score a lot easier, thus conserving energy and hopefully play more on the defensive end. We are really lucky to have him right now.

 

he's 23 and this is his first year as a starter let alone being the leader and go to guy.

in a couple of years he'll be a top 5 player in this league at least

i suspect he'll become an even more efficient player once he has another star to share the load with.

 

Just because Joe Johnson averaged 25 ppg doesn't mean Harden is the same player as Joe. Harden is a different player that plays at his own pace.

 

he is a number one option and one of the top players in the league. But his usage at the 'point' cannot stay where it is. What you didn't mention about Joe johnson is that Joe never got to the basket so willingly and easily. what a horrible comparison.

We need a four that can bang all night long!

 

A) Harden is about 4 years away from what would be considered his prime
B) Teams can build their defense around stopping him because our shooters are slumping so they can sag to the lane
C) He is having a shooting slump himself so he has been taking it the basket more
D) Derp
F) The grade of this thread

 

Yes, I think he's one of the most legit first options in the NBA

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuu3p4fjEUU

this is ROOKIE dwade. Harden has physical attributes to do this , he just needs to expand his game to more than 3pointers and eurosteps.

 

So Harden doesn't take a charge makes him a bad first option? Ever think about that might risk injuring him? Plus, why should he risk injuring himself to take a charge when he has Asik in the paint backing him up?

Also, Harden is not a ball stopper. Harden is a willing passer and he will pass the ball to an open player but its hard to keep passing it to an open player when that player keeps missing open shots or ends up turning it over anyway... Harden averages 5 assist per game for a reason. But his role on this team is to score because the Rockets lack that big time.

The more Harden scores the better the chance Houston has to win. Other than Harden, the Rockets doesn't really have any other scoring threats. Delfino can hit a few threes, Parsons does a little bit of everything, Lin is very inconsistent, Morris and Patterson is useless, and Asik is a liability on the offensive end. Only Harden is a threat to score every single possession. That is why it is important for Harden to get hot.

 

Douchey thread.

The guy's run out of gas. Playing 40 mpg saving-the-team's-ass every night was bound to wear on him.

When we get that second foundation star, these threads might just disappear.

 

adding to this, to me he is to much of an ISO player without the physical abilities of a kobe , lebron, melo etc. He doesnt jump very high when taking jumpers making him easy to defend and when he gets frustrated he tends to jack up bad shots and stop laying defense. I is no where close to being a complete /superstar player, but he is young and has time to expand his offensive game. His defense is something he has never been good at

 

To the OP I say, "BOO THIS MAN."

 

he is playing to many minutes, he lives mostly at FT line and when refs arent making contact calls he disappears, he is second in league at turnovers , but he HAS to be the first option because our roster sucks. If we get a real superstar player he easily will become 2nd or 3rd like he was at OKC

 

Average at best? At best? Come on man.

 

You do know scoring isn't really the problem right now? Our defense has been atrocious on this losing streak.

 

Considering where the Rockets were 6 months ago and where they are now....who they have now....I couldn't be happier with Harden.

 

And what do you m mean by BALL STOPPER...

It's several players in the Rockets line up that disappear offensively and don't even look for their shot and pass the ball off as soon as they get it like they're scared to shoot.

And he can't technically make the players around him better. But he can get them better looks and he does that _ it's up to them to make the shots...

 

This was bound to happen with our lack of one big man that can finish at the rim off pick & rolls. Teams are just sagging off of Asik and packing the paint on Harden and Lin as well. Also doesn't help when both your power forwards are soft, inconsistent jump shooters, can't defend other team's PFs, and most of all, cannot rebound even if their lives depended on it.

 

Yeah, a guy who is 23 and can drive to the basket at will should definitely not be our number one option. Right. You probably would have also wanted to keep Vlade Divac over Kobe too right?

 

check out the shot distance chart... he ain't got no killer jump shot

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01/shooting/2013/