I wouldn't put too much weight on that. Both shared the same agent (Rob Pelinka) at that time, and Harden is endorsed by Kobe's BODYARMOR water which was just starting their marketing campaign. Think this was when Harden was battling Westbrook in the MVP race. I'm guessing Kobe's statement was more strategic than him being genuine.
When KOBE gives you ESPN details, you turn into a pumpkin. Last season, every player detailed in the playoffs, became ass.
Moving around screens and banging inside the paint increases wear n tear. Maybe losing weight will help.
Good thing about this episode is it doesn't really provide anything for defenders to key in on. It's mainly things Harden could add to his bag of tricks to be even more unstoppable.
Kobe planned on providing ways for defenders to key in on. However, reality set in as Kobe watched Harden in detail. As Kobe watched he thought to himself: "Geez, even I don't know how to defend this man" True Story
That's exactly what I was going to say. The only criticism was Harden needs to learn how to post up more quickly. It's not like the whole league isn't trying to figure out how to stop Harden from scoring 40 points a game efficiently.
The post-up advice was a very Mamba-like slithering snakey move by Kobe. Kobe has a competitor mind-set. He feels threatened. Art of mid-direction. Kobe only wants Harden to post up more so as to slow the game down and ensure that Harden never has the time to get >81 points in a game. (that was a joke of course, I'd love to see me some Harden post-ups)
When Harden adds post move to his set this summmer, he is going to average 40+ points next season. He will be unstoppable. That size and weight he has. There is a reason why he is already a good post defender.
Watching Kobe break down all of this is amazing. I can tell Kobe was a supreme student of the game. Giving the example of Bill Russell, having a diametrically opposed arm/hand extension to cover both the shot and the pass near the rim, I'm sure he's heard the same stuff from the coaches, but a real-world example for it is rarely found. The direction of eyesight on defensive coverage was also mind-blowing. I took for granted NBA games have the best players. A missed backdoor cut for a help defender is an easy layup for a freak athlete on the wing, or one with some great post moves. For sure, having one defender keep track of that backdoor already eliminates him from providing any help defense to anyone else. Best of this video is the shocking realization of how far James Harden has come as a point guard. The dude is just unguardable with the ball in his hands.