Houston Rockets: James Harden’s Shooting Can Get Better
The Houston Rockets have stormed out of the gates to start the new NBA year. The team has had its ups and downs, despite the 10-3 start. Houston was playing impeccably well early on, but has struggled to find their rhythm as of late, turning in some very questionable performances. Despite the team’s great record, things aren’t looking as good as they were earlier on. The team is slumping and James Harden has played a part in that as well.
This isn’t to say that Harden is to blame. Far from it, as Harden has done just about everything he can to keep the Rockets from falling off. He has taken the lion share’s worth of shots, while doing more than just scoring points. Harden is averaging career highs in rebounds per game (6.4) and assists per game (6.7) while shooting a career high 89.5 percent from the free throw line. Harden is doing everything out there. Yes, even his defense has been solid as a rock early on.
The only real problem with his game to start the year is his efficiency. Harden is taking the most shots on the team with 16.9 attempts per game, but he isn’t making the most shots. That goes to Dwight Howard, with 7.3 shots made per game. Harden is second with 6.6 shots made per game. Efficiency hasn’t been there to start off for him. It’s very uncharacteristic of him and it’s the big reason as to why he’s averaging a whole point less per game than he did last year.
Harden has been terrible from just about every area of the court to start the year. So far, Harden is shooting an abysmal 39.1 percent from the floor, to go along with a terrible 30.6 percent from beyond the arch. I understand players can’t be perfect and off nights will happen even to the very best, but 13 games in, Harden does not appear to have found his touch at all. Nothing looks wrong with Harden, as he does look healthy. He just hasn’t been taking good shots and his percentage has suffered as a result.
James Harden is having a career year, but it isn’t as good as it should be because he is struggling with his shot. Thankfully, Harden has done what all great players do when they are slumping: he has found different ways of impacting the game. Harden is struggling from the field, but his contributions have been massive. Everywhere you look, Harden has found a way to make an impact. That’s the mark of a great player, and should Harden’s percentages reach his career averages, we could be looking at a legitimate MVP candidate.
James Harden is the Rockets’ best player. There is no other Houston player with a bigger impact than Harden has had this year. He has done everything well, short of shooting the ball well. That is something that can be changed quickly, especially if coach Kevin McHale can finally run some plays to get Harden some easy scoring opportunities. When that does, we’re looking at a top five player, and a huge boost to the Rockets’ already good offense. The rest of the West should be very cautious; we haven’t seen the best that Houston has to offer just yet.