If we take a closer look at Harden's efficiency (there's so much that FG% doesn't tell us), while acknowledging the fact he's a high volume scorer and capable passer, we will notice that he is actually among elite company--I can't stress enough how impressive this is. 25+ points, 60%+ TS, 5.8+ assists, has happened 9 times. Jordan twice, Lebron thrice, Wilt once, Bird twice, Harden once. But don't just take my word for it. Here's a recent article I came across: http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/hardens-season-in-a-word-great/?_r=0 For those who don't know: eFG% (effective field goal percentage) = FG% + value of 3's TS% (true shooting percentage) = FG% + value of 3's and free throws. 37% from 3 is equivalent to 55.5% from mid-range. The league average from mid-range is 39%. James Harden gets almost all his shots at the rim, the line, and behind the arc. So there you have it, not only is James Harden efficient, he's UBER efficient.
I too was wondering who was screaming Harden was inefficient. He is pretty dang efficient. Up till end of March of this yr (I don't have access to more recent data), his RAPM ORating was a whopping 6.6! Wow.
Mostly non-Rockets fans I've come across. Also there's one Rockets fan I frequently talk to who tries to convince me that Harden's shot selection is a problem... he explains that it's not about where Harden takes his shot but when Harden takes his shots. I'm not really sure what that means...
Maybe a better title for this thread would have been "Harden's efficiency in company with Jordan/Lebron/Bird/Magic"
don't really care how many points he can score. go back to 2009, we stack up the points around the league. If his defense does not improve and we get zero contribution from the four, nothing much will change, even if lin manages to only turn it over .000001 times per game.
Well, we're going to be adding SOMEONE significant or can make a decent impact either this offseason or next. That is almost guaranteed. So by all accounts, we will at least get better. But your comment on Harden is so true. I was so crestfallen when I heard him say he planned to work on one thing in particular this summer... ...his post game. I was like, NOOOOOO!!! SAY DEFENSE!!!
Go back and listen. Harden also said defense, reporters quickly changed the subject to more offense questions.
Inefficiency =/= James Harden Your little friend might have confused it with the lower %FG he had in late March and April when he sprained his right calf so was practically injured.
He is more inefficient than other players in his category. Kobe is more effective than him, so is wade of a couple years ago. Lebron, Melo, etc are also more effective scorers
