Since coming over in a blockbuster trade almost seven years ago, James Harden has cemented his place as one of the NBA’s most innovative players with the Houston Rockets. Has the best yet to come for the perennial All-Star?
Despite being one of the game’s most popular players in a time where teams flock to access data and film to analyze talents of his caliber, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden would not allow opposing coaches game plans to stop him from curating arguably the greatest offensive season in recent memory.
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The 30-year-old guard — who scored 30 points or more in 32 straight outings last year — put together another season for the ages in the Space City, averaging a career-high 36.1 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game en route to earning All-NBA First Team honors for the third straight season.
Elevating his name atop the record books in the process, as Harden became the first player in league history to ever score 2,800 points with 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a single season.
"“You don’t have to draw up anything,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle when asked about the face of the franchise. “He gets his shot anytime he wants it. He’s got his stepback going. When he has that, he gets as many 3s he wants, about 15 [attempts] per game. Then he gets to the rim with ease. Other than people just double-teaming him and trying to take the ball out of his hands — that’s when the rest of the guys have come into play, which they have been doing — I don’t see it ending.”"
Can the man who has risen from Sixth Man of the Year to MVP status find a way to guide the Rockets to the NBA’s Mount Olympus once again? Here are the top five goals for The Beard in 2019-20.