Defense and team play. Superstars became superstars and won because they acknowledged the need for defense and to rely on their teammates from time to time. Just ask Jordan, Kobe, Bird and of course McHale...
C. Help acquire another star player(/s) so he's not burnt out half way through the season. Barring that, find religion and pray someone develops into a legitimate #2 threat. For all the shortcomings that people seem to present, he needs a second banana to help him shoulder the load. No matter the defensive improvement, passing, teeth, etc., we're not going to be a contender without a second star in the team and possibly a good orthodontist.
Drill 1: Put on the 5 lb ankle weights. Get in defensive stance and slide for 24 seconds, then sprint to the other end dribbling ball and alternate pulling up for the jumper or going to the rack and dunking. Race back to the other end. Repeat in 5 minute blocks. That's 10-24 second defensive sliding drills followed by a sprint and a shot. 1 minute break between drills. Do 3 of them. Then take 5 minute break. Then do 3 more. Take the next 15 minutes catching an shooting 3-balls all around the circle including heavy emphasis on catch and shoot 3s from straight on up top. After 15 minutes shooting spot-up 3s, go right back and repeat Drill 1 from the top. DO 2 Drill 1s a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon/evening. Drill 2: Get up 500 3-pt shots using smaller rim. Drill 3: 500 post-ups against the 9-foot dummy. Do everything with the ankle weights on.
I'm old school. If there's another preferred resistance out there, go for it. But it has to simulate fatigue.
His defense needs a lot of work. I'm sure we can get more upgrades this summer or just time together in general will help a lot.
Harden's number 1 job is to work on getting Dwight Howard to the Rockets. After that, anything else is gravy. But some sort of mid-range game would be a huge plus. Also, maybe someone who has played high level ball can help me with this, but how do you work on your defense in the offseason when everyone's taking a break? I've always believed that defense comes from experience, effort, and chemistry with your teammates. Never heard an NBA player say, "well this offseason I worked on my defense a lot. I'm going to be a much better defender at the start of the season."
Recruit 5 superstars for the team. We don't care if the sixth man has bad teeth or can't play defense.
Both, but on a serious note. Defense and quicker decisions. I'd like for him to get a mid-range pull up jumper ala Tmac, but he probably doesn't have the length for that.
