Harden is practically a rookie this year in terms of fatigue and wear on the body of being the first option. He got tired and we saw his efficiency decrease. I expect next year with another option for him not to get tired as well as a full offseason to work on conditioning. This also coming off the olympics for the summer. Regardless saying he is overrated is overreacting to the extreme.
THE MAIN PROBLEM: He holds the ball too long. In the first half of season, Lin was doing more handling and when he passed it to Harden, he went to work right away. Now we just bring the ball up and give it to Harden with 20 secs left. We can't do that. The ISO ball isn't working. Its T-Mac all over again.
NO. Stop nuthugging him. He played like GARBAGE tonight. No clutch gene in his body. Needs to stop holding onto the ball for 20 freaking seconds EVERY PLAY during crunchtime.
That kinda shows that his weak mentality. Don't want to be the one blamed if can't make the shots. Harden is really no clutch. He really needs that mentality developed, thrive from the moment. More pressure, more performance.
I understand he had very big, bigs on him but still what kind of play was that out of a timeout? I know it was an iso, but they put in delfino to spread the floor. I bet even if he had taken it to the basket he would have flopped and turned it over instead of trying to get contact! we will be lucky to get one game against OKC.
Not "nuthugging" him at all. He has many things he needs to improve, that much is undeniable. Just acknowledging the factors working against him that people need to be patient with (First year as the top option, bad coaching, lack of a 2nd star, and just making better decisions).
Can't believe it's gone 3 pages without anyone mentioning that he's been playing hurt for majority of the second half. The play where the Rockets got to 93, when Asik set the pick and Harden drove hard to the basket...that's what he's best at and needs to do more. It's easier said than done cause defense have more tape on him now. He does hold to ball for too long but he also needs more help around him.
One thing is for certain, Harden was playing a lot better earlier in the year than he is now. Every since he got injured around the all star break and missed a few games, he has not been hitting his shot as well, and has especially been worse at finishing on his drives. That said, considering his age, and how far he has come this season when given this expanded role, I don't think we should worry about him quite yet. I think this thread is totally justified, and I've been pulling on my collar with nervousness the last couple months watching him. However, he is going to get better and has not reached his ceiling yet. Keep that in perspective, and do not allow how great he was playing earlier in the year to cause you to under-appreciate what he is still doing for the team. I mean, if he had played like he has recently all season, then this team does not make the playoffs. But that is not what happened. And not only should we expect him to come back next season back to what he was at the peak this season, considering his age, he will probably be better. That's why the trade for him was so great, not just this season, but, hopefully, the next 12 seasons.
TONIGHT? he played like garbage half of the games this year...its just that he got lucky with hitting threes that covered it up... but it's not on him its on mchale or murray because iso is just terrible basketball..it's not fun to watch...
He's beat up and the lack of offensive sets is not making it easier for him. His driving into the lane may not be sustainable the whole season. He needs to develop a midrange game and a better 3pt shot.
Harden Lin and Parson all do dumb things during the game too though Lin and Parson always wanna kick the ball out with no where to go and Harden holds the ball to long after Parsons or Lin takes a tour down the lane and finds nothin and give it back to Harden and holds onto it till the last couple sec and will pass or shoot a bad shot ..so its not a 1 person thing its team thing
He is an All-Star, not Superstar. He lacks the killer instinct and the desire to win for the moment. A mid-range game would not be bad also.
They don't want to acknowledge any of that, they just need someone to blame and vent their frustration. It would have been nice to have a chance to make the second round this year, but I am not too mad cause I know we have a very bright future.
As much as I cringe watching him play, it is not just his fault. Mchale is setting this young star up for failure. It's Mchale's responsibility to come up with an offensive scheme. Harden is young and he will continue to grow. He has done a solid job this year but def needs to improve in some areas. We need a new coach though.
