Houston Rockets: 5 goals for James Harden in 2017-18
4. Join the 50-40-90 club
Last season, James Harden put together one of the most efficient seasons in the history of basketball.
The Beard finished the 2016-17 season with a true shooting percentage of 61.3 percent, the highest among all qualified shooting guards, and was arguably one of the most productive players in the NBA.
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Now, he should seek to become a member of the 50-40-90 club. Harden will more than likely play the majority of his minutes at shooting guard, and receive the opportunity to accomplish yet another historical feat this season alongside Chris Paul.
In his fifth season with the Rockets last year, Harden’s shooting splits were .440/.347/.847. While he currently has space to cover, the 6’5” star possesses all the talent to do it. Paul will seek to find him more often than not, while Mike D’Antoni will seek to get the ball in his star’s hands with the game on the line.
There are only seven players in the history of the league who have put together a 50-40-90 season in their career, and Harden has a realistic chance of someday adding his name to the list. He shot 38.7 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities last year, and 38.3 percent from 3-point range when set up by his teammates.
If Harden is truly willing to play off of the ball, and shoots at a high clip next season, he could reach it.