Why James Harden is the most dangerous weapon in the NBA's bubble

Why James Harden is the most dangerous weapon in the NBA’s bubble

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 05: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets steps back for a shot while defended by Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers in the first half at Toyota Center on March 05, 2020 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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Houston Rockets, James Harden (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

What does this mean for James Harden specifically?

To get some idea of how more rest will benefit Harden, we’re going to remove all of his SEGABABA numbers from his season stats. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a scientific process, but if we look at his statistics in all games where he had one or more day of rest, we’ll at least get an idea of how much better he was with some time between games.

In the 54 games James Harden played this season that were not SEGABABA, he shot 44.2 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from 3-point range and 86.5 percent from the free throw line. Interestingly enough, he also averaged 12.1 free throws per game, compared to just 10.0 free throws per game on SEGABABA.

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Harden averaged 34.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists in these 54 games and had a true shooting percentage of 62.5 and an effective field goal percentage of 54.1.

While Harden’s 3-point shooting numbers are what they are, thanks largely to the difficulty of the 3s he takes (you don’t get the 3-shot fouls and 4-point plays he gets without taking a lot of tough 3s), his field goal percentage and free throw numbers tell the tale.

He gets to the basket a little more often, draws fouls a bit more often and capitalizes on those easy points more easily than he does on SEGABABA.

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