As James Harden shifts his focus from NBA MVP to NBA championship, he must learn how to establish himself as a force in the postseason.
James Harden didn’t have much to say after finally hoisting the MVP trophy he so coveted.
The speech lasted just a minute and 43 seconds. James spoke of his rise from Sixth Man of the Year to league MVP. He thanked his mother profusely, and promised to see us again next year.
It was genuine in its brevity. It was James Harden.
James has been the embodiment of what every franchise hopes to see in its best player. He has filled stadiums with his flashy style. He has been durable, playing in at least 70 games every season with the Houston Rockets. His team has become increasingly relevant in the NBA landscape.
But perhaps the most profound testament to James Harden’s greatness lies in his work ethic. “A lot of players are in the gym, just working on a lot of nothing, you know,” he mused, as he answered questions from the press on his big night.
This, of course, is the furthest thing from the truth for Harden himself, who has improved markedly from season to season. He has improved his scoring output in four consecutive campaigns. His efficiency has risen in three straight (by effective field goal percentage).
The step-back 3-pointer he made so often this year is the product of endless hours in the gym, hours that his peers have yet to spend. He has made manipulation of the referees an art form, to the extent that it must be respected, even for those who find it frustrating.
But there is a strange phenomenon that occurs each season in April as postseason play begins: James Harden becomes less effective. His jumper stops falling, and the whistle stops blowing.
I refuse to diminish James Harden by calling him a regular season player. He is equally as talented in May as he is in March. His ability does not leave him.
Space City Scoop
The numbers, however, cannot be ignored. James has barely crested 41 percent from the field in each of his last three postseasons. He is shooting just 29.3 percent from 3 and is attempting 1.5 fewer free throws despite an elevated usage rate.
It has nothing to do with mental weakness, or even with a higher level of competition. He is simply being hampered by the way basketball changes in the postseason.
The elevated intensity can be draining. It is far more difficult to get your feet set for a 26-foot jumper when worn down by the grueling pace and physicality of postseason play. The same goes for officiating. No superstar in the league was spared from the tighter whistle in this playoff run.
For the Beard, in this postseason in particular, the effects of this fatigue were more and more apparent as the series would drag on. In Game 1s — in each case benefitting from at least three full days of rest — he shot an astonishing 53.9 percent from the field and 57.5 percent from 3. In every other playoff game he shot 37.8 percent from the field and 23.4 percent from deep.
These are the realities of postseason basketball in the NBA. Unfortunately, Harden has constructed his game around the lax nature of regular season basketball. It is time for him to consider an evolution.
Ironically, the model for James Harden to follow is demonstrated by his peer who was conspicuously missing from last night’s award ceremony: LeBron James.
Before the summer of 2011, LeBron played with a style conducive to regular season success as well. He cared little for balance on his jump shot, content to challenge himself with ridiculous shot difficulty in the monotony of the NBA season.
LeBron lived in transition — and above the rim in general — simply because defenders rarely bothered to get in his way. He didn’t bother to post up, or make efficient use of his massive frame because he never needed to.
He was a victim of his own greatness, not entirely unlike Mr. Harden.
But then the postseason would come, the pace would slow and defenses would lock in. The transition opportunities were few and far between, and the straight-line drives ceased to exist. All of a sudden, LeBron was struggling with the open jump shots, let alone the crazy and fun ones. Pundits were screaming for him to post up, but the repertoire wasn’t there.
Valley of the Suns
The crescendo ended with his humiliation at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, as LeBron seemingly couldn’t gain an advantage against the likes of J.J. Barea.
LeBron needed to evolve, and he did. He simplified his game, focusing on fundamentals over flash. He became a reliable 3-point shooter, and worked with Hakeem Olajuwon to add a dependable set of post moves.
LeBron invented a style of bully ball that resembled the relentless assault of Shaquille O’Neal. He learned to create better driving lanes with his passing.
The King intricately redesigned his game for the sole purpose of owning the NBA’s postseason, and the success immediately followed. In the six postseasons before the summer of 2011, LeBron shot just 46 percent from the field and won the East twice. In the seven postseasons since, he has shot 50.9 percent and won three championships.
It is time for James Harden to undergo the same evolution. It will not manifest itself in the same way it did for LeBron, as their games are so different, but the opportunity is still there.
Maybe it’s a new repertoire of little floaters and hooks that allow him to finish just before the rim to save energy over the course of a series. Maybe he needs to learn how to use his underrated physical gifts to employ his own version of bully ball against mismatches.
I know it can seem ridiculous to put the onus on James — especially after his team was so close to an NBA championship this season — but we need to be honest with ourselves about what happened in that series with the Golden State Warriors.
That series was close in spite of the way James played, not because of it. The stifling defense of the Houston Rockets kept each game within reach, yet the offense faltered.
James Harden missed 55 3-pointers over the final six games of the series, shooting 20.3 percent. If he plays better, the Rockets win. It’s as simple as that.
So he must play better. Such is the burden of a league MVP. Such is the responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with his talent.
James Harden has one last hill to conquer in his NBA journey. He must reconstruct his game to handle the beast that is the NBA postseason. He has shown that he has the work ethic to make the necessary changes, he simply needs to do it.
Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
“Y’all know what’s next, right? Championship, you hear me?” he said, capping off the night of his penultimate NBA achievement. I believe he can, and will do it. Apparently James Harden believes he can too.