James Harden: The NBA’s Most Controversial Superstar

The Verdict

In a league where LeBron James’ social media is scrutinized as heavily as his decision to leave Cleveland; where Kobe Bryant is vilified as a heartless a**hole (in his own words, no less); where Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul are slammed for their lack of playoff success; where Russell Westbrook is criticized for not being a “true point guard”; where even Stephen Curry’s confidence is fair game despite being the NBA’s golden child, James Harden is the association’s most controversial superstar.

As always, humanity is afraid of what it doesn’t understand. In the case of Harden, one of the most unique players in NBA history, the line between his status as a superstar, super flopper and super lazy defender often becomes muddled into this unfair and entirely too simplistic label of “overrated.”

James Harden is not overrated, but he is misunderstood. His flaws are so much more visible to the naked eye that his strongest attributes may as well be buried in that scraggly beard of his. People can watch one missed defensive assignment, one turnover or one flop on a drive through the lane, say “There’s James Harden for you” with a sigh, and change the channel.

He may never be the alpha dog that NBA fans want him to be, the very alpha dog no one believed he’d ever become when he first transitioned from OKC’s sixth man to Houston’s franchise star overnight. He may commit too many turnovers, he may never be a passable defender as long as he has to carry that offense, and he may never win over his detractors who are already entrenched in an ongoing narrative.

But just as it’s wrong to absolve Harden’s lack of defensive effort because of his 29-7-6 stat line, so too would it be wrong to let one’s annoyance with his knack for getting to the foul line underscore how he carries Houston’s offense, or to ignore that the man is playing over 38 minutes a night because his team’s offense dies a fiery death every time he takes a breather.

Some of the onus of his lack of chemistry with Dwight Howard is on Harden, but Houston firing its head coach 11 games into the season, trading for a locker room problem like Ty Lawson and surrounding the franchise star with aging, washed up players is not on him, especially as he’s still learning how to be everyone’s definition of “clutch” at 26 years old — just his fourth year of being the face of the franchise.

Like every star in the NBA, James Harden is not perfect. He has clear areas of his game that need work, or at least, more consistent effort. He is not “overrated” due to his poor defense, nor is he exempt from criticism because of his work on the offensive end.

As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of two extremes and as one simple glance at a Twitter search for “James Harden” will tell you, casual NBA fans aren’t interested in diving into the facts or even dipping a toe into more nuanced waters.

But even if his particular playing style may not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone like Curry’s is, even if his passion isn’t in full rampage mode like Westbrook’s is, and even if his status as an enjoyable NBA villain may not measure up to what Kobe’s is, his unprecedented contributions on the offensive end deserve far more respect than a nightly montage of his mistakes and Twitter-cule.

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Unfortunately, most people who have already made up their minds about the NBA’s most controversial superstar — and make no mistake about it, James Harden is a superstar in this league — probably stopped reading around the fourth paragraph.