How much better can James Harden get? will he ever reach top 5?

I know right? Juwan Howard is way past his prime.

 

Dwight Howard is still a dominant force and one of the best big men in the league. Our big men just tend to sort of suck compared to the other positions and the talent available right now. I struggle to put Dwight top 10; top 5? I find that sort of absurd tbh.

I would still sign him for $20.5M to Houston immediately though. But we're talking about best players CURRENTLY in the nba right?

 

It's tough to name 5 guys better than him I think... Especially with all the injuries lately. Don't know how good DRose or westbrook will be next year.

Espn did they're rankings and had him 8th I think. Ahead of Melo who was 9th.

 

He'll be back in the top 5 once he plays for us.

 

Highly doubt it. I think Simmons has got it right. He's since peaked. That being said, I still think he will be Top 3 at his position, which is really good enough for us haha. Top 3 SG; Top 3 C. Maybe rising SF and PG, w/ a young bench that has room to improve. Oh and Asik or whatever we get for moving him. Noice.

 

Our system doesn't emphasize his mid range game because it's not good or consistent.

 

Harden is around 7th or 8th right now.

Only spots that I see hard, if not almost impossible, to overcome would be the #1 and #2 spot which belongs to LeBron and Durant. Everything else is fair game.

 

Harden is already 6-8 based on the discussion on various basketball forums.

 

My rankings for player in the league right now (off the top of my head, I could be forgetting someone). Just opinion....

1. Lebron
2. Kevin Durant
3. Carmelo Anthony


If there were a tier system, it feels like those three are in a class of their own.
the fourth spot is where it gets hard.

4. Kobe Bryan (I guess)
5. Derrick Rose (if he returns to form)
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Dwayne Wade
8. James Harden
9. Chris Paul
10. Marc Gasol

Howard falling somewhere in between 11-15.

 

I think Harden is very, very good...he'll never be 'great' though (top 5). The greats add something to their game every year, I'm not sure if Harden is the type to do that. If he shows another addition to his game this next season I'll be impressed...if he adds something else the next season then I'll say he could possibly be top 5, but as of now I say nay. It's great to have him on the team though .

 

lolwut

 

There are not 5 players I would rather have, so I think he is already top 5. Is he elite yet? No, but he is very close.

 

Harden was so much better than wade last year, and will be better than Kobe next year.

Carmelo is kind of all over the place on rankings. I've seen others like you put him top 3-5 and others not even in the top 10... I tend to put him him in the 6-8 range.

 

I'm sorry but putting wade, carmelo an and INJURED DRose above harden is something i just don't agree with. Harden affects the game way more than Wade and Melo, plus wade has been HORRIBlE this year. If it wasn't for Bron wade wouldn't even sniff the second round.

And as far as rose goes we don't know what kind of a player he is right now so its incredibly unfair to Harden to say Rose is better when he didn't even play a meaningful minute this season.

As far as Lebron and Durant go that is a given.

 

This top 15 or top 20 discussion is crazy. He's easily top 10 already and in the discussion for top 5.

Lebron, Durant and Paul are your top 3.

Carmelo, Harden, Paul George, Dwight, and Westbrook are all pretty darn close.

Wade, though still great, is on the other side of his career.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker can be in the conversation as well but would anyone take either of them over someone in the previous 8? Not unless popovich and the rest of the spurs are coming.

Derrick Rose hasn't played in over a year so who knows where he'll be this season. Kobe is 36 years old and just tore his Achilles, he's not in the conversation right now.

Harden is in there anywhere from 4-9 and we're just getting started.

 

"get into the space of Harden.... and his beard"

always gets me

 

Paul George averaged 17/7 with a PER of 16.8. His PER actually dipped to 16.6 in the playoffs. I get that he's a very good defender, but any discussion of him as a top 10 player, at this point, is complete and total lunacy. He's hands down the most overrated NBA player I've ever seen in my life (right now). That doesn't mean he can't eventually develop into a top 10 guy... but tap the brakes, folks. He's nowhere near the class of Harden, Westbrook, Wade, Parker, Dwight, etc.

 

I agree with this. This is also what hurt Lin, who has an excellent midrange game but seemingly was asked not to use it, at least until later in the season. What Harden doesn't have is a post up game to use his strength. This will become even more important as he ages as he just won't be able to blow people as easily.

 

And how many of those guys you could have put on this team and we would have made the playoffs...? LeBron and Durant _ yes... Melo, CP3, Howard _ I doubt it. Every guy in the NBA that averages over 20 points a game have another all star caliber player on the court with them _ Harden does not and he did it in the west.

 

George and Parsons are on the same level in my opinion.