Part of it is getting that 2nd superstar so Harden doesnt feel he has to keep a lot in reserve to take over offensively every night.
The hard part is done; getting a single star caliber talent to build the team around. I wonder how long/fast Morey will take to pull another huge trade/signing out of his hat.
I am not worried about it because he has the ability to step up and be a good defender (like McGrady) when he needs too. I am not interested in destroying the body of our 23 year old budding superstar by having him give 110% for the next six years which maybe produces a few wins a year.
Problem is Harden gets lit up by average players. Lebron and Durant often take the best swingman on the other team late in the game. Melo transformed himself into an elite defender. CP3 is solid too. Kobe is always on the all defense team.
6 weeks ago most everyone, including half of clutch fans though the reigning 6th man of the year couldn't be the top dog on a team and carry the load. He's shown that, and then some. I would hold reservations against a very young and talented Harden until he gets older and the final picture is closer to being painted if I were you.
Dwight, Westbrook, Rondo, Dwade all good defenders who shoulder a scoring load. Harden can bypass them and be in the same category as Lebron Durant Kobe CP3 if he becomes a solid defender.
Uhhhh what? Elite? As in...one of the best in the league? Melo? No...no he is not. Melo is much improved on defense, but he is FAR from elite.
Rondo scoring load really? Durant really isn't a very good defender, off the ball he does ball watching like Harden (and Kobe, CP3 does as well), he's worse at defending the p'n'r than Harden is. What Durant has that Harden doesn't and never will is an incredible wingspan. Pace and priorities (don't underestimate the needs not to run Harden rugged on a non-contender) will probably prevent him from being a good defender consistently (he has his days).
If Harden understands that he should pass the ball rather than do his isos all the time he will have more energy to play defense I also think that we need defensive effort from everybody!! to win some playoff games! No excuses! The team can score with more ball movement. But it cannot win games without 100% defense from everybody.
It's not uncommon for a young offensively talented player to struggle with defense in the NBA. Harden was asked to do one thing in OKC his entire career up to this point. Score. Defense is highly effort based so I hope to see him develop in the next few seasons. If he continues playing D at his present level he's going to get tagged as lazy more often. I suspect he's not a lazy, offense only type of player but time will tell.
this is brutal. all of our players have been guilty of this but it just seems like harden is most prone to do it. this team is obviously better with harden than without, but this type of play frustrates me to no end. there is no excuse for getting that lost on defense, on a consistent basis - doesn't matter how many points he is putting up or how heavily our offense relies on him. not asking for him to be a lockdown defender or be close enough to his man to faceguard him. just at least be aware of where the guy you're supposed to be guarding is. even if wes johnson misses that shot, harden is in no position to box him out. giving up easy buckets is the achille's heel of this team and all it takes is some focus and attention to change.
Our playoffs really depend on Harden's offense and defense. If he does not change his ball-watching defense, if he keeps doing his ISOs and forcing bad shots, we will get swept.
That is quite unacceptable at this level. It's not even acceptable in a pick-up game, or high school basketball. Maybe little leagues it is okay ...
You have to remember, guys like LeBron amd Durant were considered BAD defenders for a few years. Harden is very strong. I think he'll put it together over the next couple of years. It's one if the hardest things to learn.
Still true, his next step will be to dedicate a little bit of effort to defense. Right now he rests on that end pretty much the entire game. DD
