Kevin Durant Is Right: James Harden Deserves Less Hate
Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is correct: Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden deserves less hate—and maybe more praise.
There is no player more polarizing in the NBA than Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden. Between his prolific offensive ventures and his erratic effort defensively, there are just as many reasons to applaud Harden as there are to criticize him.
Former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate and current Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant believes it’s time his critics listen to his peers.
Though not the most popular player in the NBA, Harden has become one of the most feared and respected. His fellow players recognize him as one of the best the Association has to offer, even if outsiders do make a living out of downplaying his status.
According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Durant is stunned by the disrespect that Harden routinely receives.
"“Nobody really appreciates what he does except for the players in our league,” Durant said. “Everybody on the outside doesn’t really appreciate what he brings. Anybody that can put up 29 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and not make the All-NBA team, that’s like a sin to even think about not putting a guy like that on the All-NBA team.“As a player and someone that played with him and a fan of the game I was (angry) because somebody is right here in front of you and you can’t appreciate him. If he were to retire tomorrow, we would have so many stories and videos about how great he is, but he’s here right now doing it. Appreciate what he brings.”"
Truth be told, it’s difficult to argue.
Whether people love Harden or hate him, it’s baffling that he didn’t make an All-NBA Team in 2015-16. He averaged 29.0 points, 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 2.9 3-point field goals made per game.
That ranked him No. 2 in scoring, No. 6 in assists, No. 1 amongst shooting guards in rebounding, and No. 3 overall in total 3-point field goals made.
His defense leaves plenty to be desired, and many of his wounds are admittedly self-inflicted, but Harden is one of the best players in the world. He does things that a vast majority of players in NBA history have been unable to do.
It’s half past time Harden is appreciated for the star that he is and the legend that he’s becoming.
All-Time Production
Though the analytics movement has led many to move away from valuing basic statistics at face value, they shouldn’t be disregarded. For as erratic as he may be defensively, James Harden is one of the most productive players in NBA history.
That may seem a bit hyperbolic, but Harden truly is on an all-time trajectory of production.
Since coming to the Houston Rockets in 2012-13, Harden has averaged 27.0 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 2.5 3-point field goals made per game. If that sounds like no one else doing what he is, that’s because it’s true.
Since 2012-13, only one other player has averaged at least 25.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 3-point field goals made: Stephen Curry in 2015-16.
Harden has done it twice.
If you trace this back to the introduction of the 3-point shot in 1979-80, perspective is gained. Harden is the only player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 3-point field goals made in multiple seasons.
Say what you will about his defense, but on the offensive end of the floor, Harden is doing things that the NBA has never seen before.
Elite Value
When James Harden arrived in Houston in 2012-13, the Rockets were in shambles. Houston had finished above .500 in three consecutive seasons, but it traded a vast majority of the players who made it a slightly above-average team.
With Chandler Parsons in Year 2, Jeremy Lin, Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino, and Omer Asik as his most reliable teammates, Harden led Houston to 45 wins and the playoffs.
A year later, Harden and Dwight Howard took the Rockets to 54 wins. In 2014-15, Harden led an injury-ravaged Rockets team to 56 wins, the No. 2 seed, and Houston’s first Western Conference Finals since 1997.
That’s especially impressive considering Howard missed 41 games, Terrence Jones missed 49, and Patrick Beverley was sidelined for 26.
In 2014-15, the Rockets had a net rating of +5.8 with Harden on the floor and -2.6 without him—the difference between winning and losing. Even in 2015-16, when Houston was 41-41, it had a net rating of +1.2 with Harden and -5.3 without him.
Harden has flaws that he must correct—turnovers, ball dominance, and defense—but he’s easily one of the most valuable players in the NBA.
Listen To The Players
Any writer or television analyst can hop onto their platform and tell you what they saw when they watched a game. None are to be discredited, as they’ve dedicated their lives to understanding professional basketball.
The reality is, no one better understands how great an opposing player is than the guys who actually take the court with and against him.
In 2014-15, Stephen Curry was awarded the NBA MVP award by the writers who voted. Shortly thereafter, the players took their turn at voting and selected a different MVP—an MVP who they felt better fit the term, “Value.”
That player was James Harden of the injury-riddled and still contending Houston Rockets.
Whether or not the players got it right, it’s clear that they see Harden as the elite player he is.
That doesn’t happen if Harden is just filling the stat sheet on a losing team. Therein lies the most insane reality: Harden is posting all-time numbers on a team that hasn’t missed the playoffs since his arrival in 2012.
More times than not, that would lead to a player’s name being mentioned amongst the league’s all-time elite.
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Yet, as Durant alluded to, Harden can’t seem to buy himself the respect that he deserves.