James Harden should have some lofty goals in 2019-20

3. Cut down turnovers

In spite of being regarded as one of the most dominant offensive forces in all of basketball, James Harden still showed that he has a long way to go when it comes to taking care of the most precious object on the floor.

Harden — who committed a league-record 464 turnovers during the 2016-17 regular season — averaged a career-high five turnovers per game for the Houston Rockets last year.

That marked the fourth time in the last seven seasons in which the face of the franchise has led the league in the following department, as Harden’s unforced errors would prove to be costly for the Houston Rockets at the most inopportune time a season ago.

Despite managing to rise to the occasion and score 12 of Houston’s final 14 points in Game 6 of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals, Harden would commit four of his game-high six turnovers late in the final frame of a 118-113 loss against the Golden State Warriors.

"“We let a lot of opportunities slip away,” Harden said following the performance amidst reporters at the Toyota Center five months ago. “If you don’t take advantage of the opportunities, you end up on the losing side.”"

Although members of Harden’s camp could attribute his high rate of turnovers to owning the second-highest usage rate in league history last season, working to ensure better protection of the rock — combined with working to fine-tune and further tighten up his handle — could likely play an integral factor in helping the face of the franchise cut down on the amount of turnovers.

That could also determine if the former assists leader is able to exorcise demons of playoff’s past, as finding a way to keep cough-ups at a minimum may prove to be the difference between whether or not Harden comes out on top this time around.