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Miami Heat: Pros and cons of trading for James Harden

By Simon Smith

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts to his three point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 20, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts to his three point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 20, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Miami Heat, James Harden (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Miami Heat, James Harden (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Pros of trading for James Harden

Playoff Contention

Ever since James Harden arrived in Houston for the start of the 2012-13 season, the Rockets have not missed the postseason. With five 50-win seasons featuring a franchise-best 65 wins in 2017-18, Harden has ensured the Rockets are an automatic contender on a year-to-year basis.

Granted, the presence of one of the best general managers in the league in Daryl Morey has ensured that Harden has been surrounded by an exceptional cast of teammates. From Dwight Howard to Chris Paul to Russell Westbrook, Morey and the Rockets provided the necessary tools to ensure Harden could eventually become a league MVP and three-time league scoring leader.

Offensive powerhouse

Simply put, Harden has demonstrated to be one of the most potent offensive players in NBA history. Since arriving in Houston, here’s how the Rockets have fared each season in offensive rating:

2012-13: 108.8 (6th)
2013-14: 109.8 (4th)
2014-15: 106.0 (12th)
2015-16: 107.3 (7th)
2016-17: 114.1 (2nd)
2017-18: 114.1 (1st)
2018-19: 114.9 (2nd)
2019-20: 112.5 (6th)

Over his eight seasons with the Rockets, Harden has averaged 29.6 points, 7.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game, which includes the 31-year-old averaging 35.3 points per game over the past two seasons. While he’s been critiqued as being purely a one-man offense, Harden is not strictly just a scorer.

Over the past four seasons, Harden has averaged 8.8 assists per game, which features an incredible 125 games of at least 10 assists during this span. But it when it comes to isolation play and the ability and frequency to get a bucket when needed, Harden is in a class of his own.

Since records began in 2015-16, Harden has league each season in total isolation possessions, with his numbers going through the roof the past three seasons. The following is a breakdown of his total isolation possessions, his points per possession (PPP), and where his PPP ranks among players with at least 100 isolation possessions for the season, per NBA Stats:

2017-18: 719 possessions, 1.22 PPP (1st)
2018-19: 1280 possessions, 1.11 (1st)
2019-20: 956 possessions, 1.12 (2nd)

Impact on others

Due to the presence of Harden and either Paul or Westbrook, the Rockets have traditionally not been flush with excessive cap space to spend on additional major free agent weapons. Hence, a sizeable number of journeyman role players have gone through the doors of the Toyota Center and flourished since Harden’s arrival.

Here are some swingmen who have made important contributions in recent years:

  • Gerald Green
  • Austin Rivers
  • James Ennis III
  • Ben McLemore

Given a deal with the Rockets for Harden would inevitably cost the Rockets a sizeable amount of depth, the combination of both Harden and the Heat’s ability to bring the best out of lesser lights would serve as an enormous confidence boost for the organization.

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