Robot basketball. Teams know he only shoots from the same three places and as seen in the last 3 games they are crowding the 3pt line making him drive into help defense. His offense is so limited he is handicapping himself
As a Rocket Harden has averaged 6.2,6.6 and 6.9 3pt attempts per game. He's averaged 10 3pt attempts per game so far this season. Nobody is forcing him to drive, in fact they are preventing him from driving. Harden's always had streaks where he didn't shoot the ball well but during those times he tends to get his points in the paint and increases his assists The problem right now is that all of our shooters other than Thorton are shooting terribly. Just take a look at the percentages: Harden 22.2 FG% Ariza 25% FG% Lawson 28.6% FG% Beverly 40% FG% Brewer 29% FG% Jones 40% FG% Howard 36.4% FG%. Right now we're the gang that couldn't shoot straight. If you were the opposing coach, how would you defend us? When a team can't shoot, you pack the lane and invite them to shoot which is just what teams are doing. We can get all of the open looks we want from the perimeter. Teams are packing the paint and taking away any driving lanes from Harden and Lawson. This type of defense also helps negate Howard as it's very easy to double him with that many players in the paint. As a team, we're hoisting up 31.3 3pt attempts per game and only hitting at a 24.5% clip. Teams will gladly allow us to fire up all the 3's that we want when we are shooting this badly. Right now, we're getting open looks from the perimeter and we can't hit anything. Until we start hitting our perimeter shots, a coach would have to be an idiot to play us any differently. Start hitting our 3 pointers and then teams will have to change the defense they are playing and other options will open back up for us. The last few years we've scored our points on 3 pointers, in the paint or in transition. Right now, we're shooting the 3 pointers so badely that it's allowed teams to take away our points in the paint and transition points. All you have to do is look at the differences between this year and last year. Last year we were #1 in the league in points from 3pt shots and this year we're #19 in the league with just at 10 less points a game. We were #2 in the league last season in points in the paint. This year we are #22. Last season we were #2 in the league in fast break points but this year we are #23. Those are huge differences. We have to shoot the 3pt shot in the mid 30% range or teams will just continue to pack the paint on us. All shooters have slumps but I don't think that I've ever seen this many players shoot the ball so badly at the same time.
We need Hakeem to tell him how to dominate a game, not any basketball advice. Strictly the mentality that Hakeem would to say Im going to go in there and assert my dominance.
Now that's the beard I know. Not sure who that guy was the first 3 games. Dude is almost impossible to guard one on one
