I go back to that 2014 season. Harden was KILLING the mid range. Those two ankle breakers on Jimmy The spin ove on Hill the abuse on Klay The spin move on Hill. I hope he bring that back to his game
I am confident that Harden will continue to improve his game. His step back three point shot and floater driving to the basketball have been excellent recent additions. For those of you pointing to his mid-range game, I think Harden can hit those shots just fine- it's a matter of sticking to the offense.
-Score smarter not harder. (maybe more mid-range, more elbow posts, idk, whatever is easier) -Pace yourself so that you always have energy to seal the deal in the 4th quarter. -Change pace of the game depending on the in-game situations (he usually starts the game off at a fast pace and progressively gets slower and slower as the game wears on) -Increase physical conditioning more (don't get wrong, he seemed in great shape this year) so fatigue isn't an issue going deeper into the playoffs. -Play more consistent defense throughout the regular season, increase physical conditioning if fatigue is what is stopping this. (he was great in the WCF, would like to see half that level in the regular season). ^^^^^^^I don't care what specifically he does to improve, but those should all be priorities for him. He is already a fantastic player, and outside of physical conditioning, most of the adjustments are about his approach to the game rather than improving his skillset. He has all the tools, he just needs to employ them more effectively. Bottom line, if Harden can be as efficient in the playoffs as he is in the postseason, he will transcend to the next level. He is very close in my opinion, and he has a history of getting better every year so I expect nothing less.
IMO, Harden needs to concentrate on improving skills that overtake the Warriors and LeBron this offseason. His role is difficult against The Super Team. Harden has to be THE hero. Harden ran out of gas in the 2nd half and bricked many a 3 pointer. His defensive intensity was a pleasant surprise which now that it has been seen cannot be undone. Expanding his offensive repotoire will help the iso game plan be more efficient. If the Rockets would have made the Finals, LeBron awaits. It seems like LBJ will always wait the West opponent as the East King. Jimmy Beard vs King James! I would want to see Harden overtake LeBron in production in MULTIPLE games which is practically impossible but not improbable in a playoff series. Super Saiyan Harden would need to be awakened! Harden is strong but not vertically explosive. I don't expect a miracle, but it should be possible for an athlete to improve their vertical. Even a few inches is enough. So... Improve Stamina 1) Minimize dead leg shooting 2) Maintain peak defensive ability longer 3) Improves consistency Expand Three Point Range and Efficiency 1) Take the role of Space Gawd away from Anderson to create a similar effect Curry does for the Warriors 2) Becomes even more unguardable. Imagine step-back 3s from 26+ feet!? Improve Vertical by 3-5 inches 1) BoingVert Any Clutchfans testimonials? 2) Becomes super unguardable. Stepback becomes the ultimate move. It could join the ranks of the Sky Hook, Dream Shake, Jordan Fadaway, etc... 3) Improves Rebound Rate 4) Improves Block Rate
he lacks some moves that’s going right, I say he should learn from cp3 who can go both ways! Especially that little drive where he spin off the body of whoever is guarding for a 3,4 foot mini fadeaway
Actually, I don't think Harden is dependent on ref whistles (ie, driving just to get fouled, without really trying or having hope of making the shot). He finishes strong. What the last series did show is that he is dependent on the refs to keep from getting totally mugged. That applies to pretty much everyone not named LBJ. Do agree on your points though, with that quibble.
Mental toughness and leadership in the playoffs. In the toughest of games, he should be at his best and most reliable. See CP3.
Defense. We know he has it. Now the world knows he has it. If he plays defense like he did in the WCF all year next season his stamina issue will be fixed on its own. He'll be used to playing both ends and it will totally transform his endurance level and his game. He's probably never done it, but if he decided to dedicate this next year to studying film on his opponents defensively and making his (the whole team's) goal each game to just focus and shut down the other team, it would be amazing. There's really nothing to worry about with his offense. His style of play is just kind of his style of play and MDA likes it to be free-flowing. They said in the press conference today that a goal of theirs is to stay the same top 3 defense we were after the All-Star break (and that James was the one spearheading our goal-setting). The only way I see us doing that is if James is locked in. We truly saw how great we can be defensively in the WCF. I like all the 3-balls (even after game 7), but if we can become an even better defensive team than we were in the WCF, it won't matter how many we make or don't make.
Not to take anything away from Harden and what he did during the season and playoffs (cuz he played the best defense i've ever seen him play), but just imagine what Harden could have done in the playoffs, especially against GSW had used all of these moves... Step back 3's, step back 15-18 footers, post-up fade-aways... it would serve him and the team extremely well if he adds these moves back into his repertoire. He was exposed in the GSW series as a two-trick pony - step back 3, and drive. Add just those two moves offensively - mid-range and post-ups, he keeps the defensive constantly guessing.
Gotta let him work the midrange. He and Paul should have a green light to shoot from any spot they can find a good look. That just open's up things for everybody and makes him that much more unpredictable/dangerous.
I would like to see him work on his midrange/floater game so he can go to that more when his threes aren't falling. He had a good floater game in the Jazz series. It's annoying to watch him just keep jacking threes when he clearly isn't in a good rhythm.
he has surpassed regular season Lebron he's second only to playoffs Lebron he needs to surpass or at least match playoffs Lebron
more spot up 3's, more transition 3's. Way fewer contested step back 3's, especially when he's starting to play defense. He needs to play smarter overall, know what's working and what isn't. He's becoming a bit like a robot on offense, needs to be more creative.
It's interesting that a year or two ago it seemed like Harden did 2+ euro steps per game. It was practically his signature move, but I can't recall one in the entire playoff run.
Look at some of the greatest and winningest guards/forwards the past few decades... Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, Wade, etc... They ALL had mid-range and post-ups in their repertoire. Yes they got calls but officiating didn't determine whether they had a great game or not. I know at some point Harden is going to have to put this in his game because relying on officiating to bail you out consistently hasn't worked in the playoffs. I'm sure he's aware of this and will need to change his game so it's not as referee reliant. James Harden checks ALL the boxes to be a dominant scorer in the post: He's built like a tank, his THICC frame will bulldoze any guard He can shoot from mid-range anywhere Amazing footwork as he shows with his step-back shots (not to mention we have Dream in Houston that can help him with more moves) Incredible at drawing fouls, ridiculous durability to survive the pounding that goes on in the paint Elite free throw shooter Great passer and he has complete floor vision He's built to be one of the greatest low-post scoring guards we've ever seen, and yet we never even get to see it. Quite a shame actually. It's nice that he can make threes, but his efficiency especially on contested threes completely tanks in the playoffs when he has to spend more effort on defense. I would prefer Harden sticks to taking threes that are spot-up and limit the contested step-back threes. The Rockets tried to switch Curry on him and it worked most of the times, but we saw Steph was able to bother him with his quickness and stay with him. Imagine though Curry trying to stop Harden in the post. Not only would that be laughable, THAT'S how you get Curry fatigued. Put a bruising tank that can bang him low all day. I'm not saying that Harden post-up should be his primary play now, but especially when we go with our Death Lineup (Capela on the bench), that's the best time to post-up Harden since no one else is at the paint. Hopefully Harden and the coaching staff looks into it, because CP3 will inevitably get injured again, and there's no reason why the offense has to be so one-dimensional.
