https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/...arden-brooklyn-nets-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving Harden is averaging more touches and more time with the ball in his hands in Brooklyn. The only difference is more of thise touches end up as passes versus shots, he is not getting double teamed, and teammates are converting more. I've been saykng this from the beginning. Nothing has changed about harden other than the result from having better teammates. I still don't know why we kept trading for point guards when we should have been trading for wings. Harden is the most talented PG since Magic. Better than CP3, better than Nash, better than stockton.
You know Nash is thinking to himself. Wow this is how good I would have been if I were MJ and Kobe's size.
My 83 year old father has seen a lot of basketball and he still swears Harden drawing fouls is like cheating. I'm like daddy he just gets people off balance and they end up fouling him. People think all his free throw scoring is results of cheap fouls. Even people who actually watch
They are playing a similar switching defense that they played in Houston. He's the only one familiar with it. He yells at teammates when they are out of position. Its seldom because of effort.
Exactly @durvasa nothing has changed about his game. He should already have a ring with Paul but the point is its the teammates In OKC he reached the Finals with Durant. He should have a ring with Paul. His on court decision making has top notch since he has been a pro
Did you explain to your dad the part during playoff games when Harden and the entire Rockets team get screwed over by intentional bad officiating throughout the game or sometimes during pivotal moments?
This article talks a lot about sacrifice and every time I hear it I think back to an interview on The Jump. Can’t remember the hosts or who asked the question but they asked Austin Rivers what it’s like having to play with such a ball dominant guy. And you could tell the way the question was framed was to pile on to the narrative that Harden was a ball hog and to ask how could you ever play with such a terrible teammate? And it wasn’t just what Rivers said in response, it was how he said. With exasperation he said “James is doing EXACTLY what the organization is asking him to do....” Always made me think that there was truth to those all star game talk rumors where it was said Harden had told Curry he wanted to play a more team oriented game. And that it wasn’t Harden demanding to play the way he did while here, but that he was asked to be that guy. The way he is playing with all this talent kinda cements it for me. Could be wrong but I think this is how he has always wanted to play. First and foremost create for others and score when needed.
To put things in perspectives. Without Durant in the last three games Harden is averaging 30 points 12 assists 8 boards 50 percent from the floor and 49 percent from the three and all of them wins. Including the master piece where he beat the suns without Kyrie and KD. Games without Kyrie: 33 points 12 assists 8 boards on 48 percent shooting and 41 percent from the three . Harden could still easily average 37 points if he wanted to.
I said it earlier, harden maybe the best combo guard to ever lace them up. On offense he literally is an all time great point and shooting guard.
I don't really get what you mean when you say "nothing has changed about his game". The quoted article explains myriad ways in which he is playing differently, and yet you want to arrive at the opposite conclusion. People enjoy or don't enjoy watching Harden according to how he plays -- which includes distribution of shots vs passes, turnovers, frequency of drawing fouls and FTAs, etc. -- and you are referring to some abstract notion of "his game" that is unchanging?
all because he is playing with muliple superstars/allstars just like lebron and curry had harden wasn't holding back the rockets.. it was the other way around
Harden was really good, the team was really good. Sorry, I don't understand the relevance of your question. Are we talking about whether Harden is now a better player, or are we talking about whether Harden is playing a different way that is more enjoyable to general NBA viewers? I thought it was the latter.
I could argue while he may average less points, his all round game is just as good if not better then his mvp season. The Nets are shooting nba best 42 percent from the three point line as soon as they got him and he took over the offense.He just creates so many open looks for them. Their offensive rating is now on the greatest of all time pace.
So I have been paying attention and I have noticed that the narrative of James Harden has completely changed (for the most part). I am reading and listening to a number of basketball people now saying that he should "maybe" be MVP. I am reading and hearing "maybe" he is the best player in the NBA. Several have commented that Harden is the best and most important player on the NETS. What bothers me about this is that James Harden is no different than he was with the Rockets. He has always done what was needed to help his team win. He scored 35 points a game because he needed to, and that is what Harden said when he was scoring 35 points, he said the same when he arrived in Brooklyn and he still says it. I am also hearing so called experts claim that the Rockets offense with Harden was "bad" and that is objectively false. The teams that Harden has been on have had elite offenses for years...... Here is the offensive ranking of Harden led teams the last 6 years.....2,1,1,2,6,1. With him running the show the offense has been ranked in the top 2 five of the last 6 years, and that is going against the Warriors. The other thing that pisses me off is now the narrative is that Harden is a good defender. I listened to a podcast where they were saying that Harden almost always switches properly with the Nets, that he is really physical and is altering shots and keeping guys out of the lane. He has done that for years! So I am glad that Harden is getting recognized, simply because he has been an all time great for awhile..... but it is annoying that these same people think that he has had some epiphany in NJ when the truth is, he has been this good for years.
Harden may replace Bron as NBA's darling and poster boy thou.. It also may change the way people saw Houston during the time he was here, Harden is currently possibly the best player in the world and we know he has been for the past few years. I'm glad he is getting recognition, I'm sad not here.
Meanwhile, the idiots here, are running with a narrative that Harden is washed and somehow John Wall will save us. Lulz. I'd trade every player on this team 10x for a Harden or someone on Harden's level.
His three point shot may fluctuate some but I think his overall field goal will be greater than 50%. You have to consider how much field goal percentage takes a hit when you are expected to score 35 points a night come hell or high water. Harden was taking a lot of shots with the Rockets where he was still the best option, but they were not as efficient as he would like. With the Nets there are less of these shots because he has Irving and Durant and Harris to pass to and not Westbrook and Gordon and Tucker. We are also seeing him get more comfortable and the turnovers are going down as a result while the assists remain high. I don't think he will shoot 40% from 3, but I think 37-38% is very possible while shooting an efg of 57-59%...... which would be an historic number for someone playing the way Harden is. The biggest difference I have noticed with the Nets has been that he has become a more vocal leader.... I knew that when it was all settled, he would be the alpha on that team because he is the best player, but I felt he would likely be more quiet.
No, the cutest was he was made in Dantoni. Like he didn’t finish second in the MVP race well before Mike came to Houston.
