Houston Rockets: Get Ready For The James Harden Revenge Tour
By Aaron Mah
Slighted and slain for his propensity to turn the ball over and defensive mishaps, a vengeful James Harden looks poised to yet again put up historical numbers and reinsert his name back into the wide open MVP race under new coach Mike D’Antoni.
We’ve all seen those videos before — the 10-20 second snippets on Vine and Instagram that highlight the egregious lack of effort and attention to detail James Harden pays on the defensive end. For God’s sake, the man was named Shaqtin’ a Fool MVP — a distinction traditionally reserved for clumsy and/or feebleminded big men like Kendrick Perkins and JaVale McGee.
Needless to say, last season, the man simply known as the Beard was chastised and exposed, as his perceived shortcomings went viral.
Amidst all the embarrassing clips of visual humiliation, however, Harden quietly made history by having one of the most productive individual seasons since the NBA merger, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James (who did it twice) as the only players to average over 29 points, seven assists and six rebounds a contest.
During those LeBron and MJ seasons, though, they earned All-NBA First Team honors. In contrast, when glossing over the 2015-16 All-NBA teams, Harden’s name is suspiciously missing.
Pundits will quickly point to his defense and turnovers.
In fact, he was one of only eight players to average over 4.5 turnover per game in the modern NBA; but, you know who else did? Allen Iverson in 2004-05, a season in which he averaged an eerily similar statline of 30.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. His Philadelphia 76ers, like the Houston Rockets last season, also squeaked into playoffs and was ousted in the first round.
For his efforts, though? The Answer was awarded First Team All-NBA. For Harden? Nada.
The thing is, his omission was very much a product of the social media age, where every mishap a player makes is captured and castigated to no end. Iverson himself was an avid gambler on the defensive end, and if he were to play in today’s era, he may not be as celebrated as an unwavering warrior as we make him out to be.
Overlooked was the Herculean effort Harden put forth offensively to push a dysfunctional Rockets team, one that featured a certain disgruntled All-Star center, into the playoffs.
As we head into the 2016-17 NBA campaign, the California-native has seemingly found a new lease on life. A fresh start with a new coach and a breakneck uptempo system is a formula that could potentially unleash the Beard into an even rarer stratosphere.
Those who have watched the Rockets over the past four years would realize that Harden has been playing de facto point guard offensively since his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but playing under D’Antonio’s system, his usage rate, which already sits at the low-30s, may catapult into MJ-1987 or Kobe Bryant-2006 stratosphere (into the high-30s) next season.
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When pairing the anticipated increase in usage, as well as the upsurge in possessions played in D’Antoni’s famed Seven Seconds or Less offense, not to mention, an offense that emphasizes a ton of high pick-and-rolls, Harden may just mess around and average over 30 points and 10 assists a night — a feat only Nate Archibald and Oscar Robertson have achieved.
The 10 assists may seem like a stretch, but with the new additions of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson to help “stretch” (pun intended) the defense, as well as K.J. McDaniels and Corey Brewer backcutting everywhere with impunity, Harden has managed to dish out 10 or more assists in three of the Rockets’ four preseason games thus far.
Who knows? He may also become the first player since the merger to average over five turnovers a game at the same time, and still be criticized despite putting up a historical line.
Next: Top 10 Candidates For NBA's 2016-17 MVP Award
People just seem to love to hate James Harden. But with a perfect supporting cast and an ideal system, the Beard might just earn your respect this year.