Does Harden have a chance to make an All-Defensive team?

look at hardens last 5 games... 29 6 and 6 with 1.4 blk and 2.6 stls to go with 44/44/91 shooting. If he can keep this up he's the best player in the NBA. Ya I'm talking to you lebron and KD. The beard is coming for the crown his game is legit now it's time to bring it in the playoffs and show the world you are the best player in the world.

 

you can argue he is playing good enough D to warrant an All-Defensive team. I don't see him getting enough actual votes though. People are still pushing the "Harden is a bad defender" narrative and lets be honest, most NBA fans are not watching Rockets games unless we're playing their team. It's a shame how making vines on individual bad plays can hurt someone's reputation by misleading those who rely on highlights.

 

Also just want to point out how refreshing it is to see Harden change not just as a defender but as a teammate as well. Love seeing him crack a smile every once in a while and act like a leader. The Team USA experience rly did change him.

 

The media narrative against Harden's defense has grown too strong for him to even sniff an All Defensive team, but he looks great. Not sure he's playing that good of defense, but it's an amazing turnaround from last year, especially when he also has to basically carry the team's offense as well.

 

Agreed that the narrative is too heavily slanted against him for him to actually get voted but can we push the most improved player award? Maybe not all-nba defense, but considering how bad he was last year it's a HUGE jump.

 

No thank you.

 

Yep, playing with Team USA was the best off-season ever for him and our team.

 

He did getA vote in defensive player of the year last year in it so he's a chance

 

Lol he can make it because All Defense team is usually for star players who benefit from great team defense any ways.

In that way he benefits. Honestly , all defense I don't even care about. It's based all on reputation and bias pretty much.

 

See: Kobe Bryant, 9x all defensive first team, 3x all defensive second team. towards the end of that he was totally checked out on defense.

 

Yep.

From now until Anthony Davis retires he'll make all defensive team. No matter what it'll be assumed that he's playing great defense because there isn't any stat to even suggest otherwise and the people that vote don't really watch any ways.

Once Harden gets the reputation he's a defender, he'll pretty much always have that rep. It's easier to have a bad reputation and gain it than the opposite at least.

 

Last year was the first year voting was conducted by the media as opposed to coaches. Unfortunately the majority of the talking heads have no idea of what kind of a leap Harden has made and will go by his previous reputation. Lebron keeps making it based upon reputation alone.

 

YES. He has a chance!

 

Harden could be DPOY caliber and still not get an honerable mention. Defensive teams are a damn joke...especially when you had Kobe over guys like Shane consistently. They are just a stupid popularity contest that shouldn't be used as a metric.

 

He doesn't have a chance because nobody from the media watches our games.

More to the point though, he won't have a chance because he doesn't guard the opposing team's best player. The day we start putting Harden on Curry and Harden holds him to under 20 pts is the day he starts getting recognition.

 

While that should matter, it rarely ever does

 

It doesn't matter if you play in a big market. The media has worked Harden over so badly as being a terrible defender that he will literally have to start guarding the opposing teams best player and locking them down to get any sort of recognition.

 

The person who actually should get All-D honors is Ariza. He is the true defensive force on the team. One of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Think about how many times some random mediocre wing player just goes off against us last year vs. this year. Ariza deserves much of that credti.

 

Idk but Harden is balling, because of his rep I don't think he will ever get mentioned for his defense, or at least not for a while. He can be MVP though, once he fixes his FG% and cuts his turnovers down (hopefully) he will start to make some major noise around the nba.

He has to do those 2 things though or he simply won't get respect, nothing right about a MVP candidate shooting 39% and turning it over 4+ times a game.