James Harden: The Houston Rockets’ Defensive Stopper
By Daniel Tran
James Harden has become a defensive stalwart for the Houston Rockets
James Harden is the defensive star of a Houston Rockets team that is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
You do not need to adjust your computer screen resolution nor do you need to get a pair of glasses. The statement that is on-screen is correct. Harden is the defensive star of this team. The same James Harden that was the subject of this masterpiece last season.
After that infamous YouTube video was released showing Harden’s “defense”, NBA fans had a laugh or two at the expense of the six-year veteran and it was not like the criticism was unfounded.
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Harden finished the 2013-14 season with a defensive rating of 107 estimated points allowed per 100 possessions, which had Harden tied for 231st in the league and ranked tied for 55th in the league in defensive win-shares at 2.7. For a player who proclaimed himself a top-10 player in the NBA before the season started, the numbers were not flattering.
James Harden never lacked confidence and on offense last season he could back it up, finishing fifth in the league in terms points per game and fourth in the league in the offensive win-shares category. As you can see on defense however, Harden would be hard-pressed to justify his daring top-10 claim.
Harden raised eyebrows this summer when he claimed that he was the best all-around player in the NBA during an event promoting the NBA 2K15 video game. Then in an interview with Scoop Jackson at ESPN.com, Harden made a similar, yet even bolder statement that he was the best player alive.
Again, this was all after more YouTube videos were released showing Harden playing defense comparable to stadium security attempting to stop drunken students from storming the court after a big win in NCAA basketball. To a lot of NBA fans and experts, Harden was just blowing smoke.
Turns out, Harden might know what he is talking about.
“It’s me focusing on the [defensive] possession…Just being able to focus and being able to concentrate on small things like [not losing track of your man] is going to make a big difference.” – Houston Rockets Guard James Harden
When Dwight Howard went down indefinitely due to sprained knee, most assumed that the Rockets defensive stinginess went down with him. However, Harden has been playing like a man on fire on defense and the Houston Rockets are playing at an elite level on that end of the floor.
Harden has led the way for the Houston Rockets, sporting a 97.7 defensive rating that ranks eighth in the league ahead of All-Defensive Team mainstays Chris Paul, Joakim Noah, and Serge Ibaka. Harden is also contributing 1.9 steals per game. With Howard out, Harden stepped up and is tied for the lead in the entire NBA in defensive win-shares at 1.5 estimated wins contributed for defensive play. In fact, he has done so well on defense, a new video appeared on YouTube to demonstrate his improvement.
With James Harden leading them, the Rockets rank second in terms of defensive rating at 99.9 estimated points per 100 possession and are only giving up an impressive 94.1 points per game, which is fourth best in the league. They rank third in the NBA in field goal percentage allowed at 42.6 percent and force 16.3 turnovers a game.
With such a stark difference in this years James Harden and last years James Harden, there is speculation on what was the catalyst to drove this change in defensive intensity.
Before the 2014-15 season began, Harden talked about focus being the key to him performing well defensively as he was aware the kind of notoriety he was gaining. He admitted that his defense was bad at times, but he knew that he had the talent to defend well if he had the right mentality.
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“To reach our potential, [defense] is something that has to be done,” explained Harden. “It’s me focusing on the [defensive] possession…Just being able to focus and being able to concentrate on small things like [not losing track of your man] is going to make a big difference.”
The thing that is more funny than the video of James Harden not playing defense last season are the fans who have had their heads in the sand and still think he has not played defense well this season. It is unfortunate that Harden’s reputation precedes him because statistically speaking he has been one of the best defenders in the league so far this season and has improved by leaps and bounds in that respect.
It may take a while for fans to notice how good Harden has been on defense this year, but once that happens he might be able to shed that status as a walking turnstile and embody the intrepid statements he made this summer and become the best all-around player in the NBA.
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