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.

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