James Harden is emboldening a new type of point guard in the modern NBA with the Houston Rockets.
James Harden is trying to put a bow on his potential 2017 NBA MVP campaign. That bow would come in the form of a Western Conference Finals appearance.
Whether or not it is likely the Houston Rockets make it farther than that is a different story for a different day.
As the Rockets push the limits of basketball, it is Harden who is transcending the point guard position as we know it. He is revitalizing a position that was already vitalized to begin with.
The modern point guard hardly needed a makeover, as we are in the golden age of the elite playmakers. We have never before seen a lineup of points quite like this.
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To begin with, take a look at the top two MVP candidates from this past season, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Continue by looking at the MVP winner from the last two seasons, Stephen Curry.
If you need further proof of how great point guards are in today’s game, look at the four most likely teams to be left standing after the semifinals.
The Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers boast four of the best points in the NBA.
That all makes James Harden’s accomplishments even more amazing.
Throughout his first four years in the leagues, Harden spent most of his time at shooting guard. In fact, he spent more time at power forward in Oklahoma City than he did at point guard.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
It wasn’t until his second year with Houston that Harden played any point guard at all. Even then it was extremely minimal.
After the Rockets experimented with Harden a bit last season, new head coach Mike D’Antoni decided it was time to try another exercise. The mad scientist found his experiment to be a success.
Even though Harden always had the ball in his hands a lot, the big shift happened when D’Antoni put Harden almost exclusively at the 1 and in a playmaking role. This has led to an almost seamless transition by Harden and an amazing turnaround by a Rockets team that underperformed two years ago.
Valley of the Suns
Harden’s critics may point to his turnover rate as a sign that his transition to full-time playmaking has had its bumps. Even though Harden led the league with 464 turnovers (5.7 per 36 minutes), the second-best offense in the league depended on him to exploit every nook and cranny in opposing defenses.
His usage percentage of 34.2 percent, ranked fourth in the league, demonstrates that D’Antoni put the whole offense on Harden’s shoulders. And oh boy did he make them go.
Per Basketball-Reference, the Rockets’ offensive rating as a team was 115.6, ranking second in the league only behind the Warriors. That is a six-point difference from the 2015-16 season, when they ranked seventh in the NBA with a 109.2 rating.
Giving Harden the ball and clearing space for him by setting up three to four shooters on the perimeter has turned out to be a brilliant move by Daryl Morey and the Rockets organization.
They took a gamble by allowing Harden more freedom when to discern between scoring and dishing to open teammates. Looking back, we may wonder why this wasn’t done sooner but it’s not always so easy as giving your best player the ball and letting him make decisions time after time.
However, James Harden has beautifully mastered the line between selfishness and unselfishness — a line that critics are quick to hound if they feel a player is ever so slightly leaning one way or the other.
Harden has illustrated this with his 50.7 percent assist percentage, combined with his 28.8 points per 36 minutes. He ranks second and third in those categories in the NBA, respectively.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | PER | TS% | 3PAr | FTr | TRB% | AST% | TOV% | USG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 23 | HOU | NBA | SG | 78 | 23.0 | .600 | .364 | .592 | 7.2 | 25.7 | 14.9 | 29.0 |
| 2013-14 | 24 | HOU | NBA | SG | 73 | 23.5 | .618 | .401 | .552 | 6.9 | 27.3 | 15.0 | 27.8 |
| 2014-15 | 25 | HOU | NBA | SG | 81 | 26.7 | .605 | .378 | .561 | 8.5 | 34.6 | 14.9 | 31.3 |
| 2015-16 | 26 | HOU | NBA | SG | 82 | 25.3 | .598 | .406 | .518 | 8.8 | 35.4 | 15.9 | 32.5 |
| 2016-17 | 27 | HOU | NBA | PG | 81 | 27.3 | .613 | .493 | .575 | 12.2 | 50.7 | 19.5 | 34.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Even with Harden’s amazing assist numbers, make no mistake that he is a score-first, pass-second point guard. And that is okay.
He’s doing a great job of keeping his teammates interested and engaged on the offensive end of the floor while at the same time shouldering the scoring load when necessary to give his team an edge.
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We are beginning to see other teams and players continue the trend of putting their best player, regardless of position or height, in a primary playmaking role.
Take for instance Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo was thrust into an extended playmaking role this year for the Bucks and it resulted in their first winning season in seven years.
We can also look at the two top point guards in this year’s draft, Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz. Both players stand 6-foot-4 or taller, yet have great scoring and distributing abilities.
After one season at point guard, Harden is already paving the way for the next wave of talent. He is continuing to prove that a positionless league is more possible than anyone thought.
At 27 years old, James Harden is entering the prime of his career. The Houston Rockets, a revolutionary team, are finding new and creative ways to allow their superstar to revitalize the most elite position in the league.
Next: The top 10 moments of Paul Pierce's NBA career
Due to his crazy combination of scoring and playmaking skills, this is only Chapter 1 of James Harden: A new type of point guard.