James Harden is definitely a skilled player and is one of the more flashy players in the league. However, he is starting to get a rep like Russell Westbrook, a player that is a stat padder. There is a good case to make.
James Harden is in my top ten players right now, just for his shooting ability. He scores at will, and at times he looks unstoppable. His defense has improved in the last couple of seasons, it actually looks like he puts effort into that side of the ball.
He’s led his teams to many playoffs appearances, but he has not made a final appearance since he was the sixth man for the Thunder. A big reason for that is his style of play, keep the ball then hope for a three or a foul.
Overrated?
James Harden deserves every regular-season award he’s ever got. This man is unstoppable in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he’s not a top performer. He has a couple of game-winning shots in the postseason, but so does Avery Bradley.
He’s kind of like Westbrook in the sense of regular season (besides the turnovers). In the playoffs he usually goes cold, has bad luck, or his team lets him down. Not every loss for the Rockets (when he was still there) is on him, there were a couple of years where he was the only star player.
However, even with guys like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul, he has not won a ring. He’s been close twice, once with OKC and once with the Rockets. That time with the Rockets, they were up 3-1, and Chris Paul leaves the series with an injury.
They had one of the worst shooting streaks through games six and seven. To me, that shows Chris Paul was the heart of the team, and without Chris, they weren’t going anywhere. Also, many players and Kevin McHale have questioned his leadership.
The Decision
Harden is a scoring/offensive threat but lacks some of the aspects that make you a top-three player. One is defense, he is widely known for being a bad defender. Guys like Lebron, Durant, and even Paul are good at both sides of the ball.
The best players in the league (top 3) have to be good at both. Just imagine calling Marcus Smart a top 3 player in the league. He’s just the opposite, you have to be good at both sides of the ball. James is also not a great leader or teammate, many players have left his teams because it’s difficult to work with him.
He reminds me a lot of Randy Moss, great production, but was missing some major aspects to his game. James is a truly gifted offensive player, and for that, he’s top ten, but saying he’s in the top 3 is being nice.
Also, I think the only way he wins a ring is with the Nets, because Durant is the leader, and he is a second option. James is a fun player to watch and still has time to prove me wrong, so let’s see if he does.
