yeah i admit he's not perfect in D but who is? what specific weakness are you talking about? his inconsistency? who isn't?
I think his biggest weakness is he watches the ball waiting for someone else to steal it so he can go cherry picking on the other end, then his man ends up cutting to the basket for an easy two.
So you think only Lin fans believe that Harden is lazy on defense? Rockets fans can't think that also?
I think it's too early to tell. New York have an elite scorer in Melo. Do you think he is EVER going to get them to a championship? Do you want Harden to play in that frame of mind? I think the worst thing you can do for a supremely talented young player like Harden is give them the keys to the team and not hold them accountable. It's recipe for disaster as far as their development as leaders and championship contenders go. I do think there is a bit too much hand wringing going on about Harden's defensive woes but I also don't like the attitude at the other extreme end of the spectrum which says that we aren't going to expect anything more than offense from him. Ultimately both Harden and Howard will be judged by how far they get in the playoffs and what seed we get will affect how that goes. There are lots of players putting up points on teams where they are the main offensive weapon, have the ball in their hands the majority of the time and the green light to shoot. Hell, even Kmart is lighting it up. If Harden is to be the 'leader' of this team then he has to be leading by example on both ends of the floor. This means giving 100% on defense and sharing the ball on offense. I think it's encouraging that he is already doing the later. He's trusting his teammates more, but if the Rockets are ever to win a championship, it won't happen without Harden playing solid D. Because you can bet that Lebron and Durant will play solid D.
yeah that happens occasionally.. who doesn't get blown by their man.. but most of his steals are from his own deflections, ball pressure and reach ins.. and his average almost 1 block per game. the same or more than wade and blake and more. he has to be actively going after the ball to get there. i'm not saying he's active on the defensive end for 40 mins. but he does make an effort to make the defensive stops when he need to.
he got to the Finals playing solid D at OKC he was offensively carrying the team last year and it was his first year with the team he's working hard on his you can see the hustle on his steals, deflections, ball pressure, and blocks these past few games after his foot injury y'all just be patient but hey even Durant and Lebron doesn't play solid D 40 minutes a game 82 games a year
that's a totally different question. To say Harden is the laziest defender is a bit extreme, but he does look sluggish at times.
That's true. Like I said, I think all this hand wringing about his so called defensive woes is a bit over the top. I guess people need something to talk about though. I'm happy to just see how this team gels and grows as the season progresses. Let's watch the season, THEN we can talk about whether or not Harden's defense has really been an issue. But yeah, anytime anyone says he should not be accountable because of his offensive prowess, I'm going to have a problem with that.
he has to at least try. many don't like hearing it, but very little you can do against PnR when you don't have the pf or c truly committing to the page. Catch 22, either the pg or the Center/screen setter is designed to burn you. And by the way all three guards defend that play..it's easy to tell which poison the coach wants.
I'm proud of his development from going from a sixth man to a top 10 player, and will continue enjoy him growing into a top 5, top 3 player as he reaches his prime.
Sooooo.... the OP do not want Harden to improve on his one weakness that makes the difference between the best SG in NBA and the best player in the NBA?
Nah, I'm a big Lin fan but even I think Harden has terrific offensive skill...his injuries are probably slowing down his defensive effort, but I like that he seems to trust other players to handle the ball more and he also drives to his right with more confidence. Most people don't notice the subtle improvements in his offense.
His "laziness" happen early and that's very good. He has already put much in more defensive effort in the past few games. Doesn't matter if it was injury or not, what matter is he is doing what he said he would do going forward. He's going to develop into a 2-way player. Probably not elite defensively, but good enough. Having the others on the team carry more of the offensive burden this year will help him get there faster.
