James Harden: The NBA’s Most Controversial Superstar

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