[Media Conspiracy] James Harden Elite Post Defender

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22459076/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-great-nba-tank-race

All I have to say is wow... (other than #deservesitsownthread)

Harden has been a beast against post-ups this season. Opponents have hit just 34.8 percent of post-up attempts against him, the third-stingiest figure among 73 guys who have defended at least 50 such plays, per Synergy Sports. He loves to poke at the ball from behind; a full 18 percent of post-ups against Harden have resulted in turnovers, one of the highest such figures in the league.

Having Harden jostle against bigs minimizes his most damaging weaknesses -- his sometimes sluggish feet, and tendency to nap as perimeter guys run around. It invigorates him. It also unlocks convenient switches on pick-and-rolls. Best of all: Jumbling the matchups this way engineers chaos in transition when Houston gets a stop. Opponents are terrified of having a big man defend Harden. They scramble to normalize assignments, and expose creases in the process. Harden and Paul see those, and attack.

There is some risk inviting teams to beat up Harden. He is at a disadvantage on the defensive glass. But it has worked so far, and the Rockets are defending with a fierce connectedness. Watch out.​

 

Heh... so the year where Harden rated the worst in defense was... the year he dated Khloe Kardashian.