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James Harden Is NBA’s Best Defensive Player

By Bryan Rose

Nov 19, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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James Harden of the Houston Rockets, a notorious bad defender, currently leads the NBA in defensive win shares.

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When you think of James Harden, you think of an incredibly talented offensive player who is nothing short of abysmal on the defensive end.

Harden fully admits to his defensive shortcomings and says that he needs to improve his game on that side of the floor, something the Houston Rockets asked him to do before the season.

Of course, we’ve seen the All-Star get completely obliterated on the defensive end on more than one occasion though some who watch the Houston Rockets may tell you the former Arizona State product is actually playing better defense than he has during his entire career.

You’d probably assume they were lying, though, the stats would back them up as Harden currently leads the NBA in defensive win shares and is surrounded by names of well known, high-quality defensive players like Marc Gasol, Andrew Bogut and Kawhi Leonard.

Don’t believe me? Look for yourself:

hardendefenseper
Property: Basketball Reference /

Crazy, right? Pretty sure if you take a step outside you’ll probably see pigs flying and hell frozen over.

Of course, it’s still very early into the season and it’s very unlikely that James Harden will continue to lead the NBA in defensive win shares when the season concludes. He’s also getting a significant amount of help considering he shares the floor with Dwight Howard at all times, though Harden does deserve some credit for putting more effort into his defense will continuing to be an offensive threat.

Still, James Harden is going to have a difficult time shaking his reputation as a horrid defender though this might quite the haters for a bit.

[H/T Reddit]

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