Harden's biggest weakness isn't actually defense like most people say it is. It's that he runs out of gas in 4th quarters/crunch time on b2b or long playoff series. Some stars out there can play multiple 40min games but Harden isn't one of these star players without heavily turning the ball over. That's why CP3 is so important because another ball handler will let Harden sit on the bench a couple extra minutes longer and that helps him immensely. All these "Harden is a choker" narratives are all from his games where he's super tired late game and fumbles the ball which leads to a loss.
Are you crazy? If Harden was any better he'd turn into a supermassive black hole and spaghettify all of us. Let's chill on that .. let's find some better 3 point shooters before recommending the end of days again yeah?
Ball protection. At his usage, high turnovers will happen, but even at that usage, he should still be able to keep it to 3-4 tpg instead of 5+. He will have a careless very non-chalant pass turnover like every other game those can be cut and should help.
This right here. Harden needs to improve his stamina If he’s does that, game over. But doesn’t he have some type of asthma problem? Maybe that’s what’s holding him back?
He is already a better basketball player than Kobe Bryant. Because Bryant played with Shaq and Gasol and for the Lakers, he gets extra attention and accolades. When it comes to actual performance, he is a better basketball player right now than Kobe Bryant ever was. Then again, Jerry West was better than Kobe as well.
He will play better defense when he doesn’t play 37 minutes a game and doesn’t carry one of the 5 biggest loads in NBA modern history. Also West and Bryant didn’t play defense after 25 either.
It's physically impossible to have 1 ball handler for the whole game and not have him be tired, I don't care who you are. I remember when we played OKC in 2017 in the playoffs, Westbrook who supposedly has higher motor than Harden faded completely in the 4th quarter in many games, and just straight up bricked every shot. It's simply unnatural for 1 player to pound the ball every possession, that why we were so desperate for another playmaker
Prime Harden is better than prime Wade, Kobe, West and Drexler. The only better prime was Michael Jordan.
wade was never the playmaker or 3pt threat harden has been. he also was never really considered for MVP, having finished 3rd in voting just one season
this i think is the most appropriate post in the thread. if harden could find a therapy to improve his likely diminished lung capacity (he's had asthma in the past) he'd be the GOAT
Yes. I don’t think he’s even close to as good on his passing as he was in years past. That’s saying something, because he’s still among the best in the league. His defense seems better last several games. Early in season he looked sluggish and flat footed.
It was never question of how special he is during the regular season. Him dominating the regular season and posting ridiculous video game numbers is nothing new. It’s the post season where the discrepancy lies as he’s disappeared in some of the most critical situations/games and ultimately come up short in comparison to regular season Harden. I’m not taking about game 7 of WCF last year as he played with tons of heart and that was a tall order to ask but I’m talking about other times game 5 against Jazz last year previous playoff games like Game 6 against Spurs, game 6 against Clippers, pretty much entire Blazers series. I’m hoping he can solidify his greatness by winning a ring and deliver a championship but his time as an elite player is ticking. He’s prob got 2 maybe 3 years left as a top 5 player.
Yes. The next step is to limit those turnovers from careless passes. He have some of the most amazing passes and is great on the lobs but sometimes he just turns it over trying to pass to the corners and stuff when the defenders are waiting on him.
I agree with that but back then when it was even more old school, a true SG was not supposed to take a team on his back and facilitate. Wade couldn't shoot that well so he made up for it by hitting circus shots and slashing. Harden isn't a true SG. You can call him 2nd best SG all you want but he ain't one. He is positionless. A 1 and 2 if you will.
I agree with that but back then when it was even more old school, a true SG was not supposed to take a team on his back and facilitate. Wade couldn't shoot that well from 3 so he made up for it by hitting circus shots and slashing. I always thought Rip Hamilton was a true SG, moving off the ball, shooting jumpers and sometimes taking it to the rack. Jesus Shuttlesworth - true shooter but not asked to assist. Harden isn't a true SG. You can call him 2nd best SG all you want but he ain't one. He is positionless. A 1 and 2 if you will. Combo. There is hardly a ranking of combo guards. He dictates the game like a PG, scores like a SG, SF and beyond, posting up like a PF. Since his 6th man OKC days he has been playmaking.
Agreed - Kobe doesn't even make the top 10 GOAT list: Given how well he is playing now in his prime and assuming he can keep it up for 3 - 4 more years, Harden will pass everyone on this list except James and Jordan by the time he is done.
Earvin Johnson's 5x championships and Bird's 3x ships are very hard to ignore. I dun like Kobe and Duncan, but they should be on there. Also Shaq and Keem the Dream who have been better than Chris Paul, Barkley and Westbrook. Even KG.
Jesus ****ing Christ how did all those all time greats in the earlier times like Jordon, Hakeem, Magic, etc, manage to play both ends? I mean...37MPG is exhausting. Some of you are soft. We got to watch Hakeem play BOTH ends for more than a decade - he is the standard - Harden is a GREAT offensive player, and yes, he does play post D really well, the rest, though, he just peaks at the ball and gets blown by far too often. He can still get better, and it is OK to say that and to expect more....you can appreciate his positives and hope he works on his negatives and still be a fan. SHEESH !!! Snowflakes.... DD
