James Harden: The NBA’s Most Controversial Superstar

James Harden is carrying the Houston Rockets in 2015-16, but the narratives about his defense overshadow his offense as the NBA’s most controversial star. Where does the truth lie?

On the long list of the NBA’s most disappointing teams in 2015-16, there’s no question that the Houston Rockets are near the top. Coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance and an MVP campaign from their superstar James Harden, this was supposed to be the season the Rockets challenged the Golden State Warriors as dark horse title contenders.

Now sitting at 40-41, Houston is barely on the verge of backing into the playoffs, with a first round series against the Warriors or San Antonio Spurs serving as the potential “reward” if they avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in the Ball So Harden era.

How did we get to this point so fast? Harden wasn’t universally “liked” last season, but at least he was respected. This year, he’s become the NBA’s most controversial superstar, a lightning rod for criticism because of his uninspiring leadership, his team’s struggles, his penchant for drawing fouls and, of course, his abhorrent defense.

Is James Harden still an elite player? Is he overrated? Or is he somewhere in the middle as one of the league’s most unconventional superstars? With labels for Harden ranging from “overrated” to “lazy” to “trash” depending on which NBA expert or Twitter troll you ask, it’s time to cast aside the narratives and examine the actual facts.

Next: The Good

The Good

Averaging 29.2 points, 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, there’s no question that James Harden can put up raw numbers. His 43.8 field goal percentage and 35.7 three-point percentage have been criticism all year, but they’re not that far off his shooting numbers from last season (44 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively).

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For starters, he’s ranked second in the league in scoring, seventh in the league in assists and second among all guards in rebounds per game. He’s leading his team in scoring and assists, and is second to only Dwight Howard on the boards.

Those numbers look even better when you realize Harden is about to join Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and John Havlicek as the only players in NBA history to post at least 28.7 points, 7.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game in a season.

Okay, so that doesn’t impress you either? What about Harden being sixth in the NBA in points created off assists, or the fact that between points (2,338) and points created by assists (1,470), Harden accounts for roughly 44 percent of his team’s total offense? Check out how that percentage compares to some of the game’s best scorers/distributors:

• James Harden: 44.2%
• Russell Westbrook: 41.7%
• John Wall: 40.7%
• Stephen Curry: 38.2%
• LeBron James: 38.1%
• Chris Paul: 37.8%
• Damian Lillard: 36.2%
• Isaiah Thomas: 34.8%
• Kyle Lowry: 33.5%
• Rajon Rondo: 32.1%
• Kevin Durant: 31.7% (2029 + 837 / 9038)

Harden leads the NBA in this category of total offense created, which is no small feat considering the Rockets are the NBA’s eighth ranked offense.

As always, one of Harden’s greatest strengths is his knack for getting to the foul line. This has been a controversial topic in the past and may be off-putting to viewers who don’t enjoy hearing the whistle blow with every gyration or over-pronounced flailing of arms that seems to come whenever he attacks the basket.

But most of the time, they are fouls, even if Harden isn’t bashful about embellishing it a little bit. There’s something to be said for leading the league in free throws by a staggering 166 attempts and 160 makes, especially after leading the league in both categories by an even larger margin last year.

Say what you want about the viewing experience, especially when Harden’s charity stripe onslaught is paired with the Hack-A-Shaq BS that entrenches Dwight Howard at the foul line, but if you actually watch the way he weaves through defenders, sticks the ball out and is nearly impossible to strip or block without fouling, it’s not only a smart playing style, it’s a unique, unstoppable beauty.

Next: The Team Factor

The Team Factor

Now before you go justifying that “created offense” statistic away (Westbrook and KD being on the same team lowers their percentages, Draymond Green‘s facilitating and Klay Thompson‘s scoring lowers Curry’s percentage, C.J. McCollum‘s scoring does the same for Dame, etc.) let’s remember that we can’t have it both ways.

In other words, if all of the other players having star-caliber talent alongside them is a detriment to their case or an excuse justifying why they don’t stack up to Harden in this category, it should also serve as a defense for the Beard’s lack of team success since he doesn’t have that same type of talent around him.

Look at Houston’s roster; is it any wonder he’s had to carry the load as the league leader in minutes per game at 38.2? He’s got a fading 30-year-old Dwight Howard as his accompanying “star”; a drastically regressing Corey Brewer on the wing; a hardworking but not great point guard in Patrick Beverley; an inexperienced Clint Capela; a disappearing act in Terrence Jones; and an injury-prone stretch-5 in Donatas Motiejunas.

No wonder Houston was on the verge of missing the postseason! Just because everything came together for last year’s team does not mean it was destined to happen for this one, especially with so many key players getting another year older. Any team relying on Michael Beasley, Andrew Goudelock and Jason Terry to play regular minutes this late in the season is probably not a playoff team.

Bearing in mind the kind of ragtag bunch Harden his playing with, the Rockets’ defense is 0.9 points per 100 possessions better on with him off the floor…but Houston’s offense is also 8.1 points per 100 possessions worse when he sits. The Rockets have a +0.9 net rating with the Beard in the game, but they’re an atrocious -6.3 without him.

And all of this is without taking into account the ill-fated Ty Lawson trade that kamikaze’d this team’s chemistry, or the fact that head coach Kevin McHale was hastily fired 11 games into the season. Harden must assume some of the blame for his team’s struggles, but to say they’re solely his fault is nothing short of idiotic considering all he does for this team on offense.

Next: The Bad

The Bad

Now I know what you’re thinking: Harden may be good on offense, but it’s completely counterbalanced by how atrocious he is on the defensive end. And you’re sort of right: Harden is without a doubt one of the worst defenders for his position in the entire NBA, if not THE worst.

His defensive rating of 106.2 actually ranks in the middle of the pack on this atrocious Rockets defense, but it’s a far cry from his mark of 101.9 last season, when Houston was the league’s sixth ranked defense. That whole “lead by example” thing definitely applies here, and Harden’s frequent lapses on the defensive end are a pretty clear indicator that he’s not a bonafide leader yet.

According to NBA.com, opponents are shooting 46.9 percent from the field when defended by Harden this season, about 2.2 percent better than they’d normally shoot on such shots. Defensive field goal percentage is not a 100 percent reliable statistic, however, especially for a player like Harden who often loses his man off the ball and gives up uncontested layups or three-pointers.

Because of this, there isn’t really a statistic to clearly accentuate how miserable Harden’s effort can be on the defensive end. We could talk about how the Rockets’ defense is slightly worse with him on the floor, but Houston’s defense is terrible no matter who’s on the court. This one really comes down to the eye test, which he fails just as miserably as any statistic you could throw out there.

Watch any Rockets game and it doesn’t take long to notice how often Harden falls asleep on the defensive end. They aren’t isolated examples, they’re a regular occurrence. With all the responsibility he bears on the offensive end, Harden plays like defense is above him, routinely losing his man off the ball:

Harden is a notorious ball-watcher, and even on inbounds plays he’s prone to complete brain freezes where his man simply backdoors him for an easy layup.

You’re probably wondering, “How does he get so many steals?” Well, that same ball-watching sometimes translates into ball-hawking that leads to steals. But more often than not, Harden’s tendency to roam leads to easy baskets for Houston’s opponents, a tendency those opponents are starting to take notice of.

In transition, you can pretty much forget about Harden making a play unless he cares enough to gamble for a steal. Sometimes he’ll make a brilliant play, but more often than not, it’ll result in an easy layup against a player whose foul count is too valuable to jeopardize on broken plays.

This is not to say Harden is incapable as a defender; just that he doesn’t put forth the effort. A big part of the reason he was an MVP candidate last year was precisely because he improved his defense. Simply put, he cared. He put in the hustle and the team followed his and Howard’s lead.

This year has been a completely different story, with Harden funneling all of his effort and energy into the offensive end of the floor. When he actually tries on defense, the Rockets are a much more well-balanced team, and you can tell that his woes on that end are not due to lack of knowledge or ability.

If you think back to his days as sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden was often their go-to defender on Kobe Bryant during the playoffs. He didn’t shut Kobe down by any means, but he made him work, and just the fact that he was any team’s designated Kobe defender boggles the mind when you think about his current reputation on that end of the floor.

On the rare occasions when Harden brings the defensive effort, it’s a nice reminder that he is capable — a realization that quickly becomes damning when you watch him give up so many uncontested baskets because of laziness, ignorance or fatigue.

The defensive end isn’t the only problem people have with Harden, however. Though his high turnover rate is due in large part to his high usage, Harden’s 4.6 turnovers per game are excessive. His 373 total turnovers (with one game still remaining) set the new NBA record for most turnovers in a single season, passing Artis Gilmore‘s record of 366 from the 1977-78 season.

There are also justified concerns about his leadership qualities. Though Harden is putting up MVP-caliber numbers, he hasn’t often looked like an MVP-caliber player. His disposition, his iffy relationship with Howard, his team’s struggle to reach .500 and even his unkempt beard serve as perceived telltale signs that James Harden is not yet a leader.

Ask yourself this: Could you envision a team with James Harden as its best player winning a championship? Last year, that answer would’ve been (or should’ve been, at least) a “yes.” This year, between the defensive lapses, the Rockets crashing and burning, and the general lack of charisma he exhibits on a nightly basis, you’d probably lean closer to “no.”

NBA fans like their superstars to be an affirmative answer to that question, and when you throw in Harden’s blatantly obvious shortcomings on the defensive end, along with his perceived lack of leadership, it becomes very easy to forget the monumental aid he brings to the table on offense.

Next: The Verdict

The Verdict

In a league where LeBron James’ social media is scrutinized as heavily as his decision to leave Cleveland; where Kobe Bryant is vilified as a heartless a**hole (in his own words, no less); where Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul are slammed for their lack of playoff success; where Russell Westbrook is criticized for not being a “true point guard”; where even Stephen Curry’s confidence is fair game despite being the NBA’s golden child, James Harden is the association’s most controversial superstar.

As always, humanity is afraid of what it doesn’t understand. In the case of Harden, one of the most unique players in NBA history, the line between his status as a superstar, super flopper and super lazy defender often becomes muddled into this unfair and entirely too simplistic label of “overrated.”

James Harden is not overrated, but he is misunderstood. His flaws are so much more visible to the naked eye that his strongest attributes may as well be buried in that scraggly beard of his. People can watch one missed defensive assignment, one turnover or one flop on a drive through the lane, say “There’s James Harden for you” with a sigh, and change the channel.

He may never be the alpha dog that NBA fans want him to be, the very alpha dog no one believed he’d ever become when he first transitioned from OKC’s sixth man to Houston’s franchise star overnight. He may commit too many turnovers, he may never be a passable defender as long as he has to carry that offense, and he may never win over his detractors who are already entrenched in an ongoing narrative.

But just as it’s wrong to absolve Harden’s lack of defensive effort because of his 29-7-6 stat line, so too would it be wrong to let one’s annoyance with his knack for getting to the foul line underscore how he carries Houston’s offense, or to ignore that the man is playing over 38 minutes a night because his team’s offense dies a fiery death every time he takes a breather.

Some of the onus of his lack of chemistry with Dwight Howard is on Harden, but Houston firing its head coach 11 games into the season, trading for a locker room problem like Ty Lawson and surrounding the franchise star with aging, washed up players is not on him, especially as he’s still learning how to be everyone’s definition of “clutch” at 26 years old — just his fourth year of being the face of the franchise.

Like every star in the NBA, James Harden is not perfect. He has clear areas of his game that need work, or at least, more consistent effort. He is not “overrated” due to his poor defense, nor is he exempt from criticism because of his work on the offensive end.

As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of two extremes and as one simple glance at a Twitter search for “James Harden” will tell you, casual NBA fans aren’t interested in diving into the facts or even dipping a toe into more nuanced waters.

But even if his particular playing style may not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone like Curry’s is, even if his passion isn’t in full rampage mode like Westbrook’s is, and even if his status as an enjoyable NBA villain may not measure up to what Kobe’s is, his unprecedented contributions on the offensive end deserve far more respect than a nightly montage of his mistakes and Twitter-cule.

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Unfortunately, most people who have already made up their minds about the NBA’s most controversial superstar — and make no mistake about it, James Harden is a superstar in this league — probably stopped reading around the fourth paragraph.