I am here, as the voice of reason and logic, to ask you for a minute. A minute out of your so-called busy day to enjoy and hold close, if only for one last minute, everything you hold dear — because, sooner or later, James Harden will be coming for it all.
During what could be one of the greatest seasons ever, in one of the most exciting and competitive seasons in the past decade, James Harden is not only the NBA’s leading-MVP candidate but the master-mind behind the injury-riddled Houston Rockets’ 36-17 record.
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Whether by vastly improving his defense, taking over the team’s leadership, and/or scoring at will, James Harden’s 2014-15 performance has it all. And the unusual surge of talent coming out of the Western Conference makes an already jaw-dropping half-season performance, even better.
James Harden’s .530 effective field goal percentage is ranked 10th in league history among guards and swingmen with at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds per game. Not only that, even through Stephen Curry‘s and Klay Thompson‘s mind-boggling offensive seasons, it is James Harden who’s on top of the league, scoring-wise.
Some insight into James Harden’s season:
James Harden has scored 85 points, dished out 17 assists, and grabbed 21 rebounds in the last two games (Suns and Blazers). That’s not bad.
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) February 11, 2015
Also…
James Harden has back-to-back 40-pt, 8-reb, 8-ast games.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 11, 2015
Others who have had those numbers in back-to-back games?
Kobe (2006), MJ (1989)
And…
James Harden Last 50 Days: 45, 45, 44, 40, 37, 36, 33, 33, 33, 33, 32, 31, 30, 30
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) February 11, 2015
He’s clearly taking over the league offensively. However, James Harden’s improvement didn’t come overnight, as you can see in the following table:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/11/2015.
Every single one of his stats, with the exception of 2P%, has improved on a yearly basis ever since taking over the Houston Rockets. Also, he’s done more while averaging 1.6 minutes less per game — 2013-14: 38; 2014-15: 36.6. This translates directly into James Harden’s work ethic.
His tenacity and patience while sixth-manning with the Oklahoma City Thunder were remarkable. Even though he knew he had a chance to score at almost the same rate as former-teammates and superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, you never heard of Harden’s discomfort with the role bestowed upon him.
Also, James Harden is second in the league in true shooting percentage among guards with at least 15 field goal attempts per game and 45 games played.
| Totals | Per Game | Shooting | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FGA | 2PA | 3PA | FTA | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | FG% | 2P% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | TS% |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 50 | 33.2 | 16.9 | 9.0 | 7.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 23.6 | .483 | .553 | .404 | .577 | .897 | .624 |
| 2 | James Harden | 52 | 36.6 | 18.4 | 11.5 | 6.9 | 9.4 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 27.7 | .457 | .497 | .390 | .530 | .873 | .615 |
| 3 | Klay Thompson | 49 | 32.5 | 16.9 | 9.9 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 22.2 | .473 | .496 | .441 | .565 | .865 | .601 |
| 4 | Kyrie Irving | 50 | 37.7 | 16.8 | 11.5 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 21.9 | .470 | .497 | .411 | .535 | .844 | .581 |
| 5 | Damian Lillard | 52 | 36.5 | 16.9 | 9.6 | 7.3 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 21.6 | .431 | .499 | .342 | .505 | .859 | .562 |
| 6 | Kyle Lowry | 52 | 35.1 | 15.4 | 10.0 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 7.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 18.8 | .423 | .473 | .331 | .481 | .802 | .533 |
| 7 | Monta Ellis | 54 | 33.6 | 17.3 | 13.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 20.0 | .456 | .492 | .327 | .492 | .761 | .525 |
| 8 | Tyreke Evans | 51 | 34.7 | 15.5 | 12.6 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 17.0 | .438 | .467 | .308 | .466 | .684 | .496 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/11/2015.
A year ago, you would’ve never thought that James Harden would be have a season for the ages. We all knew he was capable of producing one, however, no one could’ve ever predicted such a peak out of him. Not during a breakthrough season from Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, every single Toronto Raptor, every single Atlanta Hawk.
Not during a season with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James finally playing with a competent point guard. Not in arguably one of the most competitive seasons in the past decade.
With no hint of a ceiling in his powers, it is impossible, yet again, to predict where exactly will James Harden’s abilities finally cave.
This is James Harden’s world, we’re just living in it.
Next: Is Dwight Howard Still Elite?
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