Here some other well sculpted NBA'ers though if you're interested. Melo probably closest to Harden Spoiler Westbrook Spoiler Kawhi draft pic Spoiler Serge Ibaka Spoiler Ron Artest looking pretty beastly Spoiler Blake Griffin Spoiler
Harden is shredded. There's a reason he can get into the paint at will and it's not just because of his nifty ball handling.
By 1:17 they were talking about Houston as the easiest first round opponent Very very beatable opponent, the more you play them, the easier to figure them out It's just Harden and all Harden, easy to snuff out
Than cut his minutes. He doesn't need to play elite defense, he just needs to pay the $%## attention. Simple things like boxing out he totally botches on key plays.
harden has a very strong core and great balance. that is why he is often credited as being way "stronger" in game than he looks, as that balance and core strength are what give him such great control in the air, and finishing ability after contact. where harden has limitations is in his metcon and overall raw athleticism. at the beginning of last year he was sprinting with ease and very explosive. usually a result of working a lot of HIIT and being lean/light. since basketball is based around explosive and ballistic movements, you need to be as light as possible while still retaining the strength to play your game the way you need to, resist injury, and retain flexibility/endurance. when harden gains weight, obviously his metcon and explosiveness suffer, and as a result he looks much slower and sloppier. as mentioned earlier in this thread, harden is a great basketball player, but on the NBA athlete scale he is closer to "very good" than "great" even when in premium shape. he isn't a lebron or a kobe or a jordan who were all very gifted natural athletes AND extremely hard workers in their conditioning training. when harden takes plays off on the defensive end, it does not appear to be because he is "choosing to" but because he is tired and instinctively begins conserving energy when he is off the ball. since he is never off the ball on offense, it happens on defense. just my two cents as a lifelong basketball fan and someone who has trained nba guys and other professional athletes.
You could always play him less and get better efforts on both sides of the ball. There's nothing wrong with that. It seems to work with Curry.
