I don’t understand this narrative that harden was at fault for the sixers loss this season. He carried Philly to 7 games, single-handedly with the 40+ games when embiid was getting bodied by horford. It’s not his fault doc’s only strategy is throw it to embiid in the post.
yes he would go for 40, but then would put 10 points in the next two games with bad effiecntly, he isn't good at defense. He isn't consistent at all, and with the 10 point games, he would be extremely passive and try to look for corner shooters rather than intiate contact like he has before. espically in that game 7, he really shit the bed. In those closeout games, it felt like he didn't care at all to win. Game 1 and 4 was his only good games. when embiid isn't playing well, harden has to step up and be the scorer/player he is during the regular season or those 40 point games, but he isn't that type of player. Even though it was collective effort of the 76ers, he is definitely one to blame.
@@thenigeriantrain sure he's one to blame like everybody else is, but if anybody on the sixers even remotely deserves praise for them even getting to a 3-2 lead over boston is harden. yeah the duds sucked but the 40 point games were way more important than the completely winnable games, embiid had to step up too he didn't look terribly injured and doc rivers got outcoached by a rookie coach after game 2
@@whoozyyy yeah just conveniently remove the game 1 at boston without the mvp and the game 4 to avoid going down 3-1 what are you even talking about bro
That’s actually pretty crazy seeing D’Lo there at 2. With all the shit he got for having a bad series, maybe the coaching staff needs to check this out
It's crazy that they signed him back. It's the fact the coach didn't bench him when he was so bad he hurt the team because they thought they would lose him if he did. They didn't and he was the biggest reason they lost after Nuggets were better. You can't keep that kind of anchor on the roster that dictates your moves. This isn't an isolated case I'm sure ..the league is full of emotionally incontinent divas but bottom line, D-Li isn't good enough to pull that stuff.
My biggest criticism of harden, and embiid for that matter, is a playstyle that relies so heavily on foul bailouts. if harden/embid got that mentality out of there head, i think philly would have been so much better. Im probably wrong about this, but i think when star players rely on the whistle too much, it affects the team negatively too. idk, i feel you should be looking for your teammates to bail you out, not the refs. i dont have much evidence of this, but harden teammates not hitting shots in playoffs, like the 27 3 in a row game 7 vs warriors and now this year, there might be causation.
He reaps what he sows. He couldn't get a championship when the rules benefited him. Now that the rules are changing away from that and he can''t adjust, he's not going to get it done. Without his freethrows and now deeper into his career, dude isn't an MVP caliber player. Minutes are the same, from averaging 12 FTA down to 7-8. Not getting any sympathy from me.
It's a mentality thing. Serial floppers just aren''t winners. They don't have it in them to compete and overcome challenges. They want it easy. There has never been a player that flops heavily that has had a killer mindset. Lebron might be the only exception ever, but we've seen him give up completely and in embarassing fashion which seems kind of fitting.
@@cacaw_0 jordan considered the goat and he flopped and traveled foh you watch luka jokic bron kawhi giannis embiid literally every star flop but for some reason you have selective memory ??? 😂 slow af
Harden & Embiid are actually basically the same player. 1) Both got sympathy MVPs after years of the same guy winning the past seasons 2) Both are stat padders 3) Both play looking for the foul instead of trying to score 4) Both disappear in the playoffs
There's no such thing as "sympathy MVPs." They won it because they earned it, and they had the credentials to back it up. Also, Harden is such a stat padder, but he's willingly taken a lesser role on his last two teams in service of winning. A stat padder wouldn't do that, right?
@@urbaindelva7869you’re not very bright are you? The MVP isn’t won by just being the best or most important player. Media, past players pivot to certain players and away from certain players. Initially they didn’t want to give Giannis 3 so Jokic was the obvious MVP. Then with Embiid crying every year and Perk playing the race card, it became more convenient to give Embiid 1 then let Giannis or Jokic get 3. Bron, Kobe and others would have had more if it wasn’t for these factors. Please watch some ball instead of d-riding
@@urbaindelva7869And yes Harden wasn’t a stat-padder imo, but he literally has more fts than points and his peak coincided with him destroying the game with the most gross fouls and flopping. Hard to respect that
Game 4 vs Nets mattered when Embiid was out it was Harden who closed the series out. Game 1 vs Boston mattered on the road without Embiid Harden dropped 40 and hit GWer. Actually game 5 mattered as well when Harden dropped another 40 n GWer. Harden appears to have more clunkers in the playoffs than other stars but this isn't even true. Lebron, PG13, Tatum, Giannis, ect all have had multiple playoff clunkers. Harden has always had more on his shoulders tho like he consistently took the Rockets further in playoffs than Dame has done with Portland despite their teams being equal in talent plenty of years and yet Dame is looked at like the clutch one when he's never played in a Finals or lead his own team to a Conference Finals.
@@Byronic19134 u mentioned a few games but ignored that harden has 10+ years of humiliation playoff loses. Every year he’s been out the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, he has more horrendous games than those players combined. His elimination game stats are far worst than any of those players u mentioned. Harden has flat out quit on multiple teams in big games, he barely even shoots.
@@Byronic19134Portland has been to the wcf as well loosing to the Warriors in 2019. While I agree that Harden isn't a choker he definitely has a lot of no show big games. His closeout game stats aren't great 22 6 and 7 but shooting 40 percent from the field and 31 from 3. And then in specific games he shot 35 percent vs the clippers 2015, 27 percent vs thunder in 2020, 39 percent vs Utah in 2019, 32 percent vs thunder in 2017, 29 and 36 percent vs Toronto in 2022. And obviously this year he was really bad in game 7 vs Celtics.
At this point it's tough to say what the best version of Harden is in terms of play style. He's still a brilliant passer and he's always had a high basketball IQ. That being said in order to derive maximum value he needs to monopolize the ball. This makes him a tricky fit on any team with title aspirations. Honestly though I don't think he wants any part of the kind of pressure that comes with being on a team with championship aspirations. Harden belongs in the era where star players were an attendance draw first and a winning player second. Pistol Pete comes to mind. The bottom line is theres probably a contender desperate enough to roll dice on a guy with the heart of a gerbil and the fitness level of a security guard, not a point guard. The Clippers sound about right. Woof To me the most fascinating aspect of the Harden situation is how it will effect Joel Embiid. Unless Tyrese Maxey goes up a level and a half and turns into an all NBA type player the chances of the Sixers winning a ring with Embiid are slim to none. Honestly when Markelle Fultz flamed out in Philly the writing was on the wall for the process era Sixers. It definitely didn't help that they had to hand Tobias Harris a max contract after giving up significant capital to trade for him. The draft night trade of Mikal Bridges was another Elton Brand award winner. Some would say not keeping Jimmy Butler was a mistake but Butler didn't want to be in Philly and that was that. I predict that Embiid will ask for a trade no later than next off-season, probably to fucking Miami.
I believe Harden adjusted and helped Embiid in a big way for him to have an MVP season. And Maxxey as good as he is, is not the right fit for Embiid. Philly is over.
That era (...where star players were an attendance draw first and a winning player second.) never existed. Or, maybe, never went away (i.e. The Russell Westbrook experience in OKC after Durant fled.) Atlanta tried to bring in Dr. J to play with Maravich and Lou Hudson which constituted a serious desire to win.
@@StevieAustin-ow3gc I would argue that it did exist. Before the NBA/ABA merger pro basketball was more of a niche fandom than it is now. TV money even adjusted for inflation was nowhere near what it is now and the vast proportion of revenue was attendance driven. The argument that era still exists is very interesting and one I failed to think through. I would agree that the post KD pre PG-13 Thunder for example would have been a very familiar business proposition to pre merger teams. I would draw a distinction though because OKC didn't think twice about flipping PG-13 for a ton of assets that have a real chance to yield a championship caliber roster. In the pre-merger era it's possible that trade doesn't get made because draft assets weren't as well understood and crucially a micro market like OKC would have been loathe to part with a bankable star. Thanks to my second cousin Sam Presti (Prestigiacomo) the Thunder are well positioned for the next decade.
I'll grant you that pre-merger it was probably easier to trap a lone star in a small market without getting better. I just don't think that that is ever a franchise's long-term intention.
Harden's still a good player, Allstar level but not worth superstar money on a long-term deal. Imo, I still don't consider him a real PG, he's a SG trying to play as the PG. Often time, he dribbles the ball way too long & wastes too much time on the shot clock, it feels like the 76ers are always taking last second shots. They take way too long to set up offensively. Embiid on the other hand, has a lot of flaws too. He calls for the ball way too far from the basket, which forces him to take a long jumper or have to work too hard to get to the rim, & he mostly would settle for the long jumper. Harden probably works better with a true pick & roll Center, that's why he worked so well with Dwight Howard, Capela, even him & Nic Claxton had some good moments. Embiid mostly picks & pop or pick & 1-dribble pullup. Embiid should be calling for the ball deeper in the paint, like 10ft out at the furthest. He's always at least 15ft away from the basket when calling for the ball & settling for far jumpers which is mainly why his FG% is so low for a Center, I mean he's only averaged above 50% shooting for a season twice in his career. It's hard to name another Allstar-caliber Center who mostly shoots only in the 40 percentile like he does, past or present. If you're an Allstar-caliber big, your FG% should definitely be in the 50%-60% range.
Well said,they’re both guys pretending to play different positions. Harden is an SG pretending to be a PG. Embiid is a PF pretending to be a C. Both need to play the position they actually like playing and find others for the correct position
I firmly believe he’s still an All-Star and borderline All-NBA guy but I wouldn’t be comfortable giving him a 4 year max either. He’s worth max money now but he probably won’t be in 3 years.
very true. But the stigma is just there. This latest season was evidence of that. He should have been at least an allstar. Even at this stage of his career and all that happened, he is still good.
@@abet317l.3 But allstar is picked by popularity, Harden has not been shown in the best light for quite some time. He's moved from team to team, he's failed to carry anyone, he's infamous for flopping and drawing fouls etc. If he didn't get allstar he didn't deserve it.
Harden is at the wrong team. Give Harden athletic 3 and D players like HOU and he's going to get your a well running offense capable of at least making it to the 2nd round
Cant even think of a postseason where Embiid was healthy. I don’t even want to get started on Harden’s consistent disappearing acts when this teams need him the most
Harden needs to go to a team that would just be happy to make the playoffs, but not actually expect to win anything in the postseason. Orlando, Detroit, Dameless Portland.
No he doesn't. He needs to stay in Philly and win a ring. Had Embiid not been hurt again in the Boston series the Sixers won that series but Harden is the only guy who gets blamed.
@@Byronic19134 It's funny how Embiid was moving around just fine swatting shots and such, but when he got cooked, locked up by a fossil, and just gives up it's "oH hEs iNjUreD". Harden playing like 💩 didn't help either.
I mean are people really surprised Doc Rivers blew yet ANOTHER lead in the playoffs? Also, why isn't Tobias Harris getting more flack? They shoulda traded him a long time ago.
Harden creates all the contact then throws up bad shots trying to get bailed out they needed to change that to me that's the real difference in eras guys used to try to score first then get the foul not get fouled and hope make a prayer shot
Exactly can't wait for this dude to retire, he did a great disservice to the game by always looking to be bailed out by referees. I mean is there anyone who enjoys seeing this guy play anymore?
It's an offensive foul - the bumps, the kick outs, the hooks. I don't think he even expects to make the shots, he just wants the foul call. That's one reason he consistently fails in the playoffs, less fouls are called. The other is that he always takes & makes less shots in series where he is eliminated.
Valuable Lesson at 12:04 - He answered in the following way.. NO, I DONT THINK SO, MAYBE... notice how his first response was accurate and honest, but then he chuckled and quickly tried to soften the NO, with an I DONT THINK SO. Then he almost pivoted with a hypothetical maybe. then finally, he said, YOU CAN TALK YOURSELF INTO IT. guys, when your life gives you a hard NO, eat it. dont try to soften it and talk yourself into stuff.. example. does keisha still love you? NO,.. take the no and leave. dont soften it and try to talk yourself into anything... leave! make suure yu follw my pahge
Hell nah he ain’t worth it. Dude cares more about the strip club than winning. He gets paid no matter what so he doesn’t have a winning mentality anymore , not sure if he ever did tbh. Hes also not as effective now that refs don’t give him the same calls he used to get a few years ago
He never did. I mean when he always trying to game the rulebook, he eventually ended up gaming himself because he refuse to put in the work. after first year he dominated the regular season because of the referees then getting burn in the playoffs he should have realize that he can't get to a ring if he doesn't change his playstyle and if he doesn't stop relying on lenient refereeing as in the regular season. Year after year he did the same thing.
@@burlacuninel5981 ya certain players in the NBA aren’t true lovers of the game. They go through the motions to get to the nba but they really just want fame, money and strippers. Lmao Zion is a prime example 😂
@@enocloke24 you think he didn't work hard and just go through the motions? Do you think he just "went through the motions" from getting in the league, sixth man, to perennial MVP candidate every year?
@@abet317l.3 for strippers and millions of dollars ? Yes I wholeheartedly believe he went through the motions for that 😂 He just got really good at it along the way but that doesn’t change the fact he’s never cared about winning. he’s getting paid either way. Him and the John walls of the league are just robbing the nba and it’s actually hilarious
0:07 is the wildest play. Borderline offensive foul, holds his leg in pain, no whistle, just shoot the damn thing. and then it looks like he might have even flopped/fell down at the end there.
He is a good player when scoring is needed but the problem is that he needs the ball 99% of the time and ref to call all his flopping to get a close win. He also disappear when it matters the most.
Great video, great breakdown, i really liked the part where you breakdown his flops, i've never really noticed how different they are from other players like Booker or Luka, he looks completely out of control on the drives that he's looking for a foul lmao
Harden is actually one of the few players that doesn't travel on the step back jumper. I see so many players take 3 steps on this move. I've even seen Tatum take 4 steps on a step back.
If you have to ask, it’s a no. If you’re giving someone a max, it should be a no-brainer. He comes up small, he’s older and paying the toll of not taking care of his body, good but not great shooter, not good off ball. He can play make very well still, but that doesn’t make him worth much.
Harden had more MVP performances than Embiid did, and it is not his fault that Doc was forcing the ball into Embiid when Embiid was getting bodied by Horford, also not his fault his teammates could not hit an open 3
useless stat, look at potential assists produced he's not even top 70. wanna know why the difference? because most of his assists come with playing pnr with embiid and letting him shoot a contested fadeaway
Is he worth it? No. The issue, of his teammates struggling to hit shots after being iced out for extended periods, has followed Harden every where he has gone. There might be two coaches in the NBA that could take the ball out of Harden's hands when this happens every year and not be fired the same day. This has been a persistent issue since he was coming off the bench in OKC. We hear stories about guys like Hakeem telling his team that he wanted the ball the first few possessions of a game to set the tone of a game at times. At times, you need guys like Harden and Embiid to set the tone and/or take things home. But a team needs guys like Robert Horry, Ray Allen or Steve Kerr to come into a game and make the big shots if you expect to win it all. And that's really hard to do when you've been standing in the corner almost all game and suddenly the ball comes ripping some where into your general vicinity. Keeping your teammates involved and in rhythm has and always will be one of the toughest jobs in the game. Something which Harden has shown for years he struggles with. And, honestly, if it wasn't his teammates being iced out, he would likely have checked out and not even tried. Something else he has throughout his career.
I really James could easily put up numbers similar to what he did in Houston. Given hes the #1 option and playing back at the 2 guard postion again. That being said. Im praying some how or way he can make it to Denver or miami
Harden had his chance with the rockets, that team was perfect for him. Kinda happy he's probably never going to get his ring, his style of basketball was some of my least favourite from the last decade.
His exploitation of fouls, flopping, hooking arms etc. truly was the ugliest shade of the “scoring era” of the nba. Glad we’re steadily moving away from it
Glad the refs aren’t giving into his foul baiting as much these days. Running into defenders, hooking their arms, kicking his feet out to defenders on jump shots all resulting in favorable foul calls for him was incredibly annoying to watch. Especially with how good of a shooter he can be all the flopping feels so unnecessary.
This guy is just saying stuff. Harden's immediately reaction after the season was absolutely not. I need to get out of here. He wanted to get a max deal from Philly and they did not talk to him ahead of free agency. He saw the writing on the wall and opted in thinking it was the best chance to get the most money.
I'm assuming the "worth it" in the title is referring to a Max deal and as a Sixers fan i'd say hell no. Harden played great this year as a PG distributing the ball to everyone, he's one of the best distributor's in the entire league for my money. But he's going on 34 with a bad hammy and his explosiveness has taken a massive hit and when you combine that with the fact that he don't get the same whistle he used to a few years ago, then it's tough to give him a 4 year deal. On top of the physical aspect, he seems to mentally check out of games sometimes, and now 2 years in a row, in the final game he's pretty much quit early in the 1st half of each game. I'm shocked Morey stood up to him and declined to max him, especially with Nick Nurse as the new coach i don't see their relationship going well. Harden was going to be asking out eventually.
@@AKALI51He gets coaches fired and either asks for a trade himself or gets his running mates traded. Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Westbrook, only reason he didn't ask for Embiid to get traded is because the 76ers wouldn't choose him over Embiid.
I wish people would sell using the phrase "make your teammates better". All these guys are doing is getting players open shots they might not even be good at. Draymond makes Steph better because he augments what Steph does well. Harden drawing defenders and having 35% shooters take a jumper is not making them better. Making these guys better would be taking what they do well and designing your offense around that (at least some plays) where whatever Harden does augments that. That's not what's happening. This isn't Harden's fault or anything against him. It's just a lazy ass trope I'm tired of hearing.
Jokic is the best example right now of a player that makes his team better. James Harden is just a system player with inflated stats. Even during his "prime" when he was getting calls every possession
@@manz7860 Love Jokic but I still gotta go with Steph, at least until I see otherwise. Jokic might be better on the floor, maybe, but Steph is the guy that you see players running unique drills with. Everybody wants to learn from him and he's willing to teach. That's actually making them better in a way that can carry over when he's gone. If Jokic was traded today, does anyone in Denver still seems as good without him? That's the problem I've had with Harden and many other stars who the media apply this stupid trope to.
This is literally the same game plan teams have always had in regards to stopping Harden, and he always fails. He plays a bad brand of basketball and can't show up when the games matter. He definitely isn't worth it.
Harden is not THE guy in playoffs. Weve seen him crumble when it matters over and over. His style and his unability to deal with pressure means he has to play next to a #1 with the mentality needed to perform with consistency. Thats the one thing that separates playoff greats from others: doing it consistently. That is not in Philly where Embid has shown over and over that he can't be counted to lead in playoffs physically and mentally where his "woe is me" emotional state (an piss poor body language) and inconsistency always fail him. Harden needs a Jimmy, Lebron, Kawhi where he can pull a Lowry (score 32 in one game then 2pts) and maybe not sabotage series.
Dude only plays in 59% of games for his career, can’t miss shots you don’t take, can’t lose games you dont play in. Other people would have higher winning percentages if they called out of work every other day too.
He is old and washed up but if pedestrian guard lime vanvleet gets a big fat contract i see harden still getting one last payday. The window is closing in for him tho.
I dont think James Harden is washed as a player, he can still give a team great production. But you have to consider him coming up short in the playoffs if you sign him.
Yes. Here is Harden's advanced stats at age 33 season: WS/48 of 0.188 PER of 21.6 OBPM of 5.1 DBPM of 0.3 VoRP of 4.0 TS% of 60.7% James Harden is still an All-star bordering on All-NBA 3rd team player.
The Harden conundrum comes down to intangibles. He's obviously an elite talent and shooting guard; even at the NBA level. His statistical accolades already put him squarely into the HOF; yet is there any other player you can think of that has done less to contribute to contender level teams at his skill level? When you consider intangibles, Harden might be one of the most encumbering, and inordinate players ever; he won't play for you if you don't compromise to him fully; he doesn't play with the intensity you need for playoff success; he has terrible efficiency for his role as key offensive piece; especially now that he cannot bail himself out with fouling. Houston did everything to accommodate Harden and that's where he played his best; his effect on Win-shares is indisputable yet he still has never made it further than the conference finals. Can you think of any other players whom can perform and be dominant regular season; but fail to measure up post season? Sure you can? Can you think of any that goes on to purposely sabotage their franchise based on these results for not immediatly netting him a ring? I can think of a few names that are corrosive to their organizations, but none quite like Harden whom takes the bag and runs free range; before siphoning cap space, and abandoning an entire organization to a rebuild having contributed towards nothing but his own personal accolades. volatile and with rule changes that have reduced his stats to fringe all-star levels. Other Elite NBA talent essentially avoiding him like the plague, and calling out his volatile contributions, I think it's safe to say that he is an overall liability; because Harden is only there when he wants to be; and as of late that hasn't been very often.
Kawhi only played in 60% of his teams possible games throughout his career, his numbers are highly skewed when you only perform when your 100% and others play at less than that.
Do you fault him for leaving the circus that was the Nets team? It's a wonder anyone wants to play with drama queen Kyrie. Also add in that KD had some obsession with him, Nash being an ass coach and no wonder he went out
@@gurhhjde2937 What guard do you have creating off the bench? They actually are full at the wings. They could use a good distributor that can shoot. Kemba deserves a job and is zero risk at vet minimum. He can be trusted to close when needed as well.
Kemba is washed. Detroit didn't even get him minutes. He lost his speed and lateral quickness. He's not a good enough shooter to make up for it. Love the guy, but he's done in the NBA.
@@bpdmf2798 He dropped 30/5/5 in his last NBA start in DAL... He's about as washed as Jamal Crawford when he retired (dropped 50 efficiently at his last game). Kemba has plenty in the tank. What is the risk? If BS (Ben Simmons) can make 30+ million, Kemba can get at least 4 and a non-guaranteed contract. Hell, Dillon Brooks shot Memphis out the playoffs and got 20M for 4 years.
@@jgalvan09 40 twice on a dpoy and 6moty multiple all nba players multiple all defensive team players while the mvp and player they call the 2nd best on the team did what ? Get off your knees bruh
@@jgalvan09 and dame misses the playoffs almost every year or gets bounced in the 1st while not once ever making anybody around him better and cp3 got carried by book and harden on top of being the main reason they don’t have a ring
Refs need to have some accountability and be punished just like the players when aggregious mistakes are made. Calling it human error when it can decide who wins the championship or how much money a player will make isn't acceptable. Look at harden in this vid. The horrible calls when he's clearly causing the contact himself get called and the bad fouls aren't. It's ridiculous. Refs don't take any accountability and get mad and give techs if players get mad at their terrible mistakes... That being said harden needs to stop with the arm hooking BS it's just embarrassing at this point. Play basketball dude your a damn professional out there looking like a child. Same with Bron and his flopping. The times that nobody even touches him and he goes flying are hilarious but also embarrassing
Harden isn't gonna average 30 a game anymore. He's not the Houston MVP that warrants a supermax contract. But Harden can still definitely contribute at an All-Star level.
@@unknownrage7691 No. But if you’re a team looking for that final piece to go all the way, James Harden just put up a giant signal in the sky that he’s not that guy. If he was he’d be looking to take a pay cut on a contender.
Tbf to Harden, he has never had a team where in a game 6 or 7, he isn't being double or triple teamed bc the spacing sucks. Even with CP3 in 2019, he was being hacked and doubled like crazy by the Warriors bc there was no other offensive threat. And now on the Sixers, same situation. No one is a 3pt threat besides Maxey but he doesnt command defense yet so they still suffocate Harden
i feel like james harden is acting like carmelo anthony back when he was at the knicks, but instead of taking paycut like carmelo, hes doubling down on it
People that don't play basketball will not realize how hard it is to shoot IF THEY HARDLY TOUCH THE BALL.. always waiting on the PG to get the ball to them. It's why so many wing players are cold' when they get a pass to just shoot off from the the corner. They gotta feel and dribble the ball a little to get in riddim. The ball has got to move around. Blah
Idk what the Clippers or the Suns have to offer for Harden, money/value wise. Both teams are not going to offer one of their best players, who are the ones that fit money wise. It's not just that he doesn't worth 35-37 millions, it's that it makes him barely imposible to trade and to fit under the new salary cap, specially on his favored destinations. You could send him to the Heat, I guess, but Harden for Herro is basically a robbery. Meaning, Herro is just gonna get better and Harden is just gonna get worse. So in the end you have yet another toxic contract you can put on top of the Tobias Harris one. A responsible GM would have them both walk out and rebuild as quick as possible so you only waste 1 year of Embiid's prime. It is what it is. Run this team back is just gonna drop same result or worse, specially if your top 2 guy doesn't wanna be there.
I don’t understand this narrative that harden was at fault for the sixers loss this season. He carried Philly to 7 games, single-handedly with the 40+ games when embiid was getting bodied by horford. It’s not his fault doc’s only strategy is throw it to embiid in the post.
yes he would go for 40, but then would put 10 points in the next two games with bad effiecntly, he isn't good at defense. He isn't consistent at all, and with the 10 point games, he would be extremely passive and try to look for corner shooters rather than intiate contact like he has before. espically in that game 7, he really shit the bed. In those closeout games, it felt like he didn't care at all to win. Game 1 and 4 was his only good games. when embiid isn't playing well, harden has to step up and be the scorer/player he is during the regular season or those 40 point games, but he isn't that type of player. Even though it was collective effort of the 76ers, he is definitely one to blame.
@@thenigeriantrain sure he's one to blame like everybody else is, but if anybody on the sixers even remotely deserves praise for them even getting to a 3-2 lead over boston is harden. yeah the duds sucked but the 40 point games were way more important than the completely winnable games, embiid had to step up too he didn't look terribly injured and doc rivers got outcoached by a rookie coach after game 2
He didn’t carry nothing. Remove those two games from the series and then tell me what he did.
dude, last season I watch a highlight harden play defense😂
@@whoozyyy yeah just conveniently remove the game 1 at boston without the mvp and the game 4 to avoid going down 3-1 what are you even talking about bro
That’s actually pretty crazy seeing D’Lo there at 2. With all the shit he got for having a bad series, maybe the coaching staff needs to check this out
D'Angelo Russell is a magician with talent selfess basketball player he actually a transcendent athlete since penny hardaway and James harden.
Yea until you look down and see Westbrook at 11.. over guys like KD(not even on the list) and Lebron James.
@@nellyville69do you know what transcendent means?
@@nellyville69nice troll
It's crazy that they signed him back. It's the fact the coach didn't bench him when he was so bad he hurt the team because they thought they would lose him if he did. They didn't and he was the biggest reason they lost after Nuggets were better. You can't keep that kind of anchor on the roster that dictates your moves. This isn't an isolated case I'm sure ..the league is full of emotionally incontinent divas but bottom line, D-Li isn't good enough to pull that stuff.
My biggest criticism of harden, and embiid for that matter, is a playstyle that relies so heavily on foul bailouts. if harden/embid got that mentality out of there head, i think philly would have been so much better. Im probably wrong about this, but i think when star players rely on the whistle too much, it affects the team negatively too. idk, i feel you should be looking for your teammates to bail you out, not the refs. i dont have much evidence of this, but harden teammates not hitting shots in playoffs, like the 27 3 in a row game 7 vs warriors and now this year, there might be causation.
They do it bc their team can’t score
they do it because its an easy way to score lol
He reaps what he sows. He couldn't get a championship when the rules benefited him. Now that the rules are changing away from that and he can''t adjust, he's not going to get it done. Without his freethrows and now deeper into his career, dude isn't an MVP caliber player. Minutes are the same, from averaging 12 FTA down to 7-8. Not getting any sympathy from me.
It's a mentality thing. Serial floppers just aren''t winners. They don't have it in them to compete and overcome challenges. They want it easy. There has never been a player that flops heavily that has had a killer mindset. Lebron might be the only exception ever, but we've seen him give up completely and in embarassing fashion which seems kind of fitting.
@@cacaw_0 jordan considered the goat and he flopped and traveled foh you watch luka jokic bron kawhi giannis embiid literally every star flop but for some reason you have selective memory ??? 😂 slow af
Harden & Embiid are actually basically the same player.
1) Both got sympathy MVPs after years of the same guy winning the past seasons
2) Both are stat padders
3) Both play looking for the foul instead of trying to score
4) Both disappear in the playoffs
There's no such thing as "sympathy MVPs." They won it because they earned it, and they had the credentials to back it up. Also, Harden is such a stat padder, but he's willingly taken a lesser role on his last two teams in service of winning. A stat padder wouldn't do that, right?
@@urbaindelva7869you’re not very bright are you? The MVP isn’t won by just being the best or most important player. Media, past players pivot to certain players and away from certain players. Initially they didn’t want to give Giannis 3 so Jokic was the obvious MVP. Then with Embiid crying every year and Perk playing the race card, it became more convenient to give Embiid 1 then let Giannis or Jokic get 3. Bron, Kobe and others would have had more if it wasn’t for these factors. Please watch some ball instead of d-riding
@@urbaindelva7869And yes Harden wasn’t a stat-padder imo, but he literally has more fts than points and his peak coincided with him destroying the game with the most gross fouls and flopping. Hard to respect that
Harden 2017-2018 best team conference and ppg 30+
Harden 2018-2019 ppg 36 🥶
harden is great, still a star level player but it’s solidified that he disappears when it matters.
Game 4 vs Nets mattered when Embiid was out it was Harden who closed the series out.
Game 1 vs Boston mattered on the road without Embiid Harden dropped 40 and hit GWer. Actually game 5 mattered as well when Harden dropped another 40 n GWer.
Harden appears to have more clunkers in the playoffs than other stars but this isn't even true. Lebron, PG13, Tatum, Giannis, ect all have had multiple playoff clunkers.
Harden has always had more on his shoulders tho like he consistently took the Rockets further in playoffs than Dame has done with Portland despite their teams being equal in talent plenty of years and yet Dame is looked at like the clutch one when he's never played in a Finals or lead his own team to a Conference Finals.
@@Byronic19134fax
@@Byronic19134 u mentioned a few games but ignored that harden has 10+ years of humiliation playoff loses. Every year he’s been out the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, he has more horrendous games than those players combined. His elimination game stats are far worst than any of those players u mentioned. Harden has flat out quit on multiple teams in big games, he barely even shoots.
@@Byronic19134Portland has been to the wcf as well loosing to the Warriors in 2019. While I agree that Harden isn't a choker he definitely has a lot of no show big games. His closeout game stats aren't great 22 6 and 7 but shooting 40 percent from the field and 31 from 3. And then in specific games he shot 35 percent vs the clippers 2015, 27 percent vs thunder in 2020, 39 percent vs Utah in 2019, 32 percent vs thunder in 2017, 29 and 36 percent vs Toronto in 2022. And obviously this year he was really bad in game 7 vs Celtics.
@@Byronic19134you said all that and guess what? James garden isn’t worth the money he’s getting paid 🤣
Harden was a CP3 hamstring away from beating a team with 4 hall of famers in their prime on it......
Also that game seven they could have won without Chris. Paul, but it is one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen
for real
@@WHITEPERSUAS1ONyeah but when you miss 27 straight 3s, u deserve to lose
That was him like 5 years ago. He's like half the player he used to be
That was a time when he will get a tons of freethrows by initiating contacts
At this point it's tough to say what the best version of Harden is in terms of play style. He's still a brilliant passer and he's always had a high basketball IQ. That being said in order to derive maximum value he needs to monopolize the ball. This makes him a tricky fit on any team with title aspirations. Honestly though I don't think he wants any part of the kind of pressure that comes with being on a team with championship aspirations. Harden belongs in the era where star players were an attendance draw first and a winning player second. Pistol Pete comes to mind. The bottom line is theres probably a contender desperate enough to roll dice on a guy with the heart of a gerbil and the fitness level of a security guard, not a point guard. The Clippers sound about right.
Woof
To me the most fascinating aspect of the Harden situation is how it will effect Joel Embiid. Unless Tyrese Maxey goes up a level and a half and turns into an all NBA type player the chances of the Sixers winning a ring with Embiid are slim to none. Honestly when Markelle Fultz flamed out in Philly the writing was on the wall for the process era Sixers. It definitely didn't help that they had to hand Tobias Harris a max contract after giving up significant capital to trade for him. The draft night trade of Mikal Bridges was another Elton Brand award winner. Some would say not keeping Jimmy Butler was a mistake but Butler didn't want to be in Philly and that was that.
I predict that Embiid will ask for a trade no later than next off-season, probably to fucking Miami.
Embiid going to Miami would be great. Love to see Philly fans cry
I believe Harden adjusted and helped Embiid in a big way for him to have an MVP season. And Maxxey as good as he is, is not the right fit for Embiid. Philly is over.
That era (...where star players were an attendance draw first and a winning player second.) never existed. Or, maybe, never went away (i.e. The Russell Westbrook experience in OKC after Durant fled.) Atlanta tried to bring in Dr. J to play with Maravich and Lou Hudson which constituted a serious desire to win.
@@StevieAustin-ow3gc I would argue that it did exist. Before the NBA/ABA merger pro basketball was more of a niche fandom than it is now. TV money even adjusted for inflation was nowhere near what it is now and the vast proportion of revenue was attendance driven. The argument that era still exists is very interesting and one I failed to think through. I would agree that the post KD pre PG-13 Thunder for example would have been a very familiar business proposition to pre merger teams. I would draw a distinction though because OKC didn't think twice about flipping PG-13 for a ton of assets that have a real chance to yield a championship caliber roster. In the pre-merger era it's possible that trade doesn't get made because draft assets weren't as well understood and crucially a micro market like OKC would have been loathe to part with a bankable star. Thanks to my second cousin Sam Presti (Prestigiacomo) the Thunder are well positioned for the next decade.
I'll grant you that pre-merger it was probably easier to trap a lone star in a small market without getting better. I just don't think that that is ever a franchise's long-term intention.
Harden's still a good player, Allstar level but not worth superstar money on a long-term deal. Imo, I still don't consider him a real PG, he's a SG trying to play as the PG. Often time, he dribbles the ball way too long & wastes too much time on the shot clock, it feels like the 76ers are always taking last second shots. They take way too long to set up offensively. Embiid on the other hand, has a lot of flaws too. He calls for the ball way too far from the basket, which forces him to take a long jumper or have to work too hard to get to the rim, & he mostly would settle for the long jumper. Harden probably works better with a true pick & roll Center, that's why he worked so well with Dwight Howard, Capela, even him & Nic Claxton had some good moments. Embiid mostly picks & pop or pick & 1-dribble pullup. Embiid should be calling for the ball deeper in the paint, like 10ft out at the furthest. He's always at least 15ft away from the basket when calling for the ball & settling for far jumpers which is mainly why his FG% is so low for a Center, I mean he's only averaged above 50% shooting for a season twice in his career. It's hard to name another Allstar-caliber Center who mostly shoots only in the 40 percentile like he does, past or present. If you're an Allstar-caliber big, your FG% should definitely be in the 50%-60% range.
Well said,they’re both guys pretending to play different positions. Harden is an SG pretending to be a PG. Embiid is a PF pretending to be a C. Both need to play the position they actually like playing and find others for the correct position
Embiid just needs a coach who’ll optimize his skills.
Led the league in assist twice.
his assist numbers are pretty darn good for 'not a PG'
@@mjkittredge So are Jokic's, but he's not a PG either.
If you want regular season success, yes. If you want playoff success, no to maybe.
Casuals
He played a dynasty with role players averaging 30
@@unknownrage7691and he also coughed up 12 TOs and lost by 30 in a closeout game against the Spurs with their best players sitting
That Dirk poster behind Coach Nick warmed my heart.
I firmly believe he’s still an All-Star and borderline All-NBA guy but I wouldn’t be comfortable giving him a 4 year max either. He’s worth max money now but he probably won’t be in 3 years.
Dude doesn't stay in shape and his game is predicated on getting cheap foul calls
very true. But the stigma is just there. This latest season was evidence of that. He should have been at least an allstar. Even at this stage of his career and all that happened, he is still good.
@@abet317l.3 But allstar is picked by popularity, Harden has not been shown in the best light for quite some time. He's moved from team to team, he's failed to carry anyone, he's infamous for flopping and drawing fouls etc. If he didn't get allstar he didn't deserve it.
@@fauxbro1983he always been in shape
Harden is at the wrong team. Give Harden athletic 3 and D players like HOU and he's going to get your a well running offense capable of at least making it to the 2nd round
Cant even think of a postseason where Embiid was healthy. I don’t even want to get started on Harden’s consistent disappearing acts when this teams need him the most
Harden needs to go to a team that would just be happy to make the playoffs, but not actually expect to win anything in the postseason. Orlando, Detroit, Dameless Portland.
No he doesn't. He needs to stay in Philly and win a ring. Had Embiid not been hurt again in the Boston series the Sixers won that series but Harden is the only guy who gets blamed.
@@Byronic19134delusional
Almost every team has their pg for the future. Only team he'd fit is celtics, bucks, maybe raptors
@@Byronic19134 It's funny how Embiid was moving around just fine swatting shots and such, but when he got cooked, locked up by a fossil, and just gives up it's "oH hEs iNjUreD". Harden playing like 💩 didn't help either.
@@chandler2 he's not surviving the heat and I doubt the jazz are picking him up. Clippers and pelicans could though
6:46 Joel has all 5 defenders looking at him and an open Harden three…loses ball instead
I mean are people really surprised Doc Rivers blew yet ANOTHER lead in the playoffs?
Also, why isn't Tobias Harris getting more flack? They shoulda traded him a long time ago.
Harden in 23: 21/11/6 on 44/39/87 shooting. Also led the league in dimes.
@IGcantstopfactsbreh Geeeez. Yeah, he's not the GOAT or anything, but he's still a very productive player. That's all I was saying.
Harden creates all the contact then throws up bad shots trying to get bailed out they needed to change that to me that's the real difference in eras guys used to try to score first then get the foul not get fouled and hope make a prayer shot
Exactly can't wait for this dude to retire, he did a great disservice to the game by always looking to be bailed out by referees. I mean is there anyone who enjoys seeing this guy play anymore?
It's an offensive foul - the bumps, the kick outs, the hooks. I don't think he even expects to make the shots, he just wants the foul call.
That's one reason he consistently fails in the playoffs, less fouls are called. The other is that he always takes & makes less shots in series where he is eliminated.
Harden is not worth a max contract however I do not blame him for the sixers losing.
With anti-flopping coming into effect, that takes away Harden's (and Embiid's) biggest weapon. Finally. That shiz was making games unwatchable.
Right because they became as great as they are by just flopping. 😒
@@urbaindelva7869 🎯
@@urbaindelva7869see you get it. This is why they sucked in the playoffs
The third thing that should be necessary to pay that kind of contract: Can that player, play defense as good as my grandma? With Harden, probably not.
Valuable Lesson at 12:04 - He answered in the following way.. NO, I DONT THINK SO, MAYBE... notice how his first response was accurate and honest, but then he chuckled and quickly tried to soften the NO, with an I DONT THINK SO. Then he almost pivoted with a hypothetical maybe. then finally, he said, YOU CAN TALK YOURSELF INTO IT. guys, when your life gives you a hard NO, eat it. dont try to soften it and talk yourself into stuff.. example. does keisha still love you? NO,.. take the no and leave. dont soften it and try to talk yourself into anything... leave! make suure yu follw my pahge
Hell nah he ain’t worth it. Dude cares more about the strip club than winning. He gets paid no matter what so he doesn’t have a winning mentality anymore , not sure if he ever did tbh.
Hes also not as effective now that refs don’t give him the same calls he used to get a few years ago
He never did. I mean when he always trying to game the rulebook, he eventually ended up gaming himself because he refuse to put in the work. after first year he dominated the regular season because of the referees then getting burn in the playoffs he should have realize that he can't get to a ring if he doesn't change his playstyle and if he doesn't stop relying on lenient refereeing as in the regular season. Year after year he did the same thing.
@@burlacuninel5981 ya certain players in the NBA aren’t true lovers of the game. They go through the motions to get to the nba but they really just want fame, money and strippers. Lmao Zion is a prime example 😂
@@enocloke24 you think he didn't work hard and just go through the motions? Do you think he just "went through the motions" from getting in the league, sixth man, to perennial MVP candidate every year?
@@abet317l.3 for strippers and millions of dollars ? Yes I wholeheartedly believe he went through the motions for that 😂
He just got really good at it along the way but that doesn’t change the fact he’s never cared about winning. he’s getting paid either way. Him and the John walls of the league are just robbing the nba and it’s actually hilarious
@@burlacuninel5981he averaged 28 in the playoffs and played the warriors every year. Harden always had a winning mentality
Coach Nick, your videos are so comprehensive. Thanks.
Thx!! 🙏🏀
0:07 is the wildest play. Borderline offensive foul, holds his leg in pain, no whistle, just shoot the damn thing. and then it looks like he might have even flopped/fell down at the end there.
It’s was knee on knee, that’s why he looked in pain!
@@chandler2 💯, “you don’t need to play sports to talk about it”
Also
*Guys suffers clear injury*
“Why’s he in pain?”
@@bondsgoat25
“pulled a hamstring but he may be back next game”
Nah he’s done for the series.
@@bondsgoat25 I never said that it wasn't painful. I was just saying that the whole sequence is wild.
@@Janinho897 oh, understood!
He is a good player when scoring is needed but the problem is that he needs the ball 99% of the time and ref to call all his flopping to get a close win. He also disappear when it matters the most.
Great video, great breakdown, i really liked the part where you breakdown his flops, i've never really noticed how different they are from other players like Booker or Luka, he looks completely out of control on the drives that he's looking for a foul lmao
You should never use Booker and Luka together in this context. Book has one of the lowest free throw rates for this tier of player.
the footwork on 3:14 is actually crazy
it's the pi
Harden is actually one of the few players that doesn't travel on the step back jumper. I see so many players take 3 steps on this move. I've even seen Tatum take 4 steps on a step back.
I love the breakdown. And I don't want to be disrespectful in anyway, I just really do like the old music better.
He’s still worth it . Who’s down year is still leading the league in assists
Only because of the high usage and the team actually let him hog the ball like the old days. He won't get that anywhere else
@@jayu7141high usage he's the pg his job is to manage the game 😂😂😂😂 your a 🤡
@@jayu7141how else do you lead the league in assists without having the ball?
If you have to ask, it’s a no.
If you’re giving someone a max, it should be a no-brainer.
He comes up small, he’s older and paying the toll of not taking care of his body, good but not great shooter, not good off ball.
He can play make very well still, but that doesn’t make him worth much.
we need a vid on cp3 to warriors, coach! what are ur thoughts
Harden had more MVP performances than Embiid did, and it is not his fault that Doc was forcing the ball into Embiid when Embiid was getting bodied by Horford, also not his fault his teammates could not hit an open 3
Of course he is, he makes his teammates better and he still can score when he needs to. He just won his 2nd assist title last season.
useless stat, look at potential assists produced he's not even top 70. wanna know why the difference? because most of his assists come with playing pnr with embiid and letting him shoot a contested fadeaway
Is he worth it? No. The issue, of his teammates struggling to hit shots after being iced out for extended periods, has followed Harden every where he has gone. There might be two coaches in the NBA that could take the ball out of Harden's hands when this happens every year and not be fired the same day. This has been a persistent issue since he was coming off the bench in OKC. We hear stories about guys like Hakeem telling his team that he wanted the ball the first few possessions of a game to set the tone of a game at times. At times, you need guys like Harden and Embiid to set the tone and/or take things home. But a team needs guys like Robert Horry, Ray Allen or Steve Kerr to come into a game and make the big shots if you expect to win it all. And that's really hard to do when you've been standing in the corner almost all game and suddenly the ball comes ripping some where into your general vicinity.
Keeping your teammates involved and in rhythm has and always will be one of the toughest jobs in the game. Something which Harden has shown for years he struggles with. And, honestly, if it wasn't his teammates being iced out, he would likely have checked out and not even tried. Something else he has throughout his career.
Old man take
@@keithtorrence2487 what’s your take?
@@keithtorrence2487 Perhaps you should switch to youtube kids
@@buenosnochesamigo that’s something a teenager would say.
On my Cavs, yes. he doesn’t deserve to contend right away as we’ve seen, he’s Jay Cutler of the NBA.
Short answer: no
Long answer: unfortunately his time has passed
I really James could easily put up numbers similar to what he did in Houston. Given hes the #1 option and playing back at the 2 guard postion again. That being said. Im praying some how or way he can make it to Denver or miami
I use to be a fan of harden but hes shown that he disappears when it matters most.
The better question is Embid worth it
I think Harden is a better fit for the Mavericks than Kyrie. Luka + Harden can get the Mavs system running for full 48 minutes with no down time.
He has star talent, but not champion mentality.
Harden had his chance with the rockets, that team was perfect for him. Kinda happy he's probably never going to get his ring, his style of basketball was some of my least favourite from the last decade.
His exploitation of fouls, flopping, hooking arms etc. truly was the ugliest shade of the “scoring era” of the nba. Glad we’re steadily moving away from it
@@Abhi_B I hated the foul-baited bs he pulled man that was a scammy maneuver. It really made me appreciate his elite shooting so much less.
If someone like Charlotte was able to snag Harden, for them it's a max value talent on a 1 and 1
Still more future value than Ben Simmons
Great video
Great Video Coach, another spot-on analysis from you. One thing is that the background music was just slightly too loud
Glad the refs aren’t giving into his foul baiting as much these days. Running into defenders, hooking their arms, kicking his feet out to defenders on jump shots all resulting in favorable foul calls for him was incredibly annoying to watch. Especially with how good of a shooter he can be all the flopping feels so unnecessary.
This guy is just saying stuff. Harden's immediately reaction after the season was absolutely not. I need to get out of here. He wanted to get a max deal from Philly and they did not talk to him ahead of free agency. He saw the writing on the wall and opted in thinking it was the best chance to get the most money.
I'm assuming the "worth it" in the title is referring to a Max deal and as a Sixers fan i'd say hell no. Harden played great this year as a PG distributing the ball to everyone, he's one of the best distributor's in the entire league for my money. But he's going on 34 with a bad hammy and his explosiveness has taken a massive hit and when you combine that with the fact that he don't get the same whistle he used to a few years ago, then it's tough to give him a 4 year deal.
On top of the physical aspect, he seems to mentally check out of games sometimes, and now 2 years in a row, in the final game he's pretty much quit early in the 1st half of each game. I'm shocked Morey stood up to him and declined to max him, especially with Nick Nurse as the new coach i don't see their relationship going well. Harden was going to be asking out eventually.
definitely sixers are frustrating to watch. brick city, they need to surround him with reliable shooters if they want him to play point guard.
Do GMs ever consider the negative 'drama' that certain players will bring? Harden brings drama. Irving is another.
how dose harden bring drama?
@@AKALI51 Requests trade from Rockets, requests trade from Nets, requests trade from Sixers....
@@XxMVPxDawg ...and gets his coaches fired.
@@AKALI51He gets coaches fired and either asks for a trade himself or gets his running mates traded. Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Westbrook, only reason he didn't ask for Embiid to get traded is because the 76ers wouldn't choose him over Embiid.
Hes good at point guard position. However he needs to improve his heart during games that matter
I wish people would sell using the phrase "make your teammates better". All these guys are doing is getting players open shots they might not even be good at. Draymond makes Steph better because he augments what Steph does well. Harden drawing defenders and having 35% shooters take a jumper is not making them better. Making these guys better would be taking what they do well and designing your offense around that (at least some plays) where whatever Harden does augments that. That's not what's happening. This isn't Harden's fault or anything against him. It's just a lazy ass trope I'm tired of hearing.
Jokic is the best example right now of a player that makes his team better.
James Harden is just a system player with inflated stats. Even during his "prime" when he was getting calls every possession
@@manz7860 Love Jokic but I still gotta go with Steph, at least until I see otherwise. Jokic might be better on the floor, maybe, but Steph is the guy that you see players running unique drills with. Everybody wants to learn from him and he's willing to teach. That's actually making them better in a way that can carry over when he's gone. If Jokic was traded today, does anyone in Denver still seems as good without him? That's the problem I've had with Harden and many other stars who the media apply this stupid trope to.
This is literally the same game plan teams have always had in regards to stopping Harden, and he always fails. He plays a bad brand of basketball and can't show up when the games matter. He definitely isn't worth it.
Harden is not THE guy in playoffs. Weve seen him crumble when it matters over and over. His style and his unability to deal with pressure means he has to play next to a #1 with the mentality needed to perform with consistency. Thats the one thing that separates playoff greats from others: doing it consistently.
That is not in Philly where Embid has shown over and over that he can't be counted to lead in playoffs physically and mentally where his "woe is me" emotional state (an piss poor body language) and inconsistency always fail him.
Harden needs a Jimmy, Lebron, Kawhi where he can pull a Lowry (score 32 in one game then 2pts) and maybe not sabotage series.
My man Kawhi still top 10 in fg% for the lead or a tie. Love that. Also highest win % in NBA history that's insane.
Dude only plays in 59% of games for his career, can’t miss shots you don’t take, can’t lose games you dont play in. Other people would have higher winning percentages if they called out of work every other day too.
Aside from Pukable AD transition, great content about quitter Hardee's.
Kobe was right about Harden's style of play. That style won't win him a championship
He's on the all-time 75... No. One should be complaining. He is a legend
At selling in the playoffs
He is old and washed up but if pedestrian guard lime vanvleet gets a big fat contract i see harden still getting one last payday. The window is closing in for him tho.
I dont think James Harden is washed as a player, he can still give a team great production.
But you have to consider him coming up short in the playoffs if you sign him.
James Harden, 2 time fantasy champion in the last 6 years. He's a champ to me lol
Harden is a mastermind player however he has undermined how important maintaining his body really is
Chuckled when coach gave Russ some love 😁
I don't think harden demanded a trade. Either way, there isn't anyone out there that can pay, so he's not going anywhere
Big Harden fan here. Sad to say he is not worth it anymore. But somebody might still pay.
Business wise, yes
Harden will only give you two great games in a series
Yes.
Here is Harden's advanced stats at age 33 season:
WS/48 of 0.188
PER of 21.6
OBPM of 5.1
DBPM of 0.3
VoRP of 4.0
TS% of 60.7%
James Harden is still an All-star bordering on All-NBA 3rd team player.
The Harden conundrum comes down to intangibles. He's obviously an elite talent and shooting guard; even at the NBA level. His statistical accolades already put him squarely into the HOF; yet is there any other player you can think of that has done less to contribute to contender level teams at his skill level? When you consider intangibles, Harden might be one of the most encumbering, and inordinate players ever; he won't play for you if you don't compromise to him fully; he doesn't play with the intensity you need for playoff success; he has terrible efficiency for his role as key offensive piece; especially now that he cannot bail himself out with fouling. Houston did everything to accommodate Harden and that's where he played his best; his effect on Win-shares is indisputable yet he still has never made it further than the conference finals. Can you think of any other players whom can perform and be dominant regular season; but fail to measure up post season? Sure you can? Can you think of any that goes on to purposely sabotage their franchise based on these results for not immediatly netting him a ring? I can think of a few names that are corrosive to their organizations, but none quite like Harden whom takes the bag and runs free range; before siphoning cap space, and abandoning an entire organization to a rebuild having contributed towards nothing but his own personal accolades. volatile and with rule changes that have reduced his stats to fringe all-star levels. Other Elite NBA talent essentially avoiding him like the plague, and calling out his volatile contributions, I think it's safe to say that he is an overall liability; because Harden is only there when he wants to be; and as of late that hasn't been very often.
Kawhi only played in 60% of his teams possible games throughout his career, his numbers are highly skewed when you only perform when your 100% and others play at less than that.
Hardens one of the most talented losers of all time. Never been willing to do the nitty gritty stuff that wins championships
James harden if he go to Phoenix unstable with booker and durant equals champion
he lead the league in assist. that's worth something
The guy gives up on his team and leaves every other year. I wouldn't want him anywhere near my team.
Do you fault him for leaving the circus that was the Nets team? It's a wonder anyone wants to play with drama queen Kyrie. Also add in that KD had some obsession with him, Nash being an ass coach and no wonder he went out
the music for this video sounds like i'm being advertised a new experimental medicine that i may need to consult my doctor for
Kemba Walker to the Suns! Let's speak it into existence.
Why would the Suns want him? They have plenty of guard play and creation they need 3 and d wings.
@@gurhhjde2937 What guard do you have creating off the bench? They actually are full at the wings. They could use a good distributor that can shoot. Kemba deserves a job and is zero risk at vet minimum. He can be trusted to close when needed as well.
Kemba is washed. Detroit didn't even get him minutes. He lost his speed and lateral quickness. He's not a good enough shooter to make up for it. Love the guy, but he's done in the NBA.
@@bpdmf2798 He dropped 30/5/5 in his last NBA start in DAL... He's about as washed as Jamal Crawford when he retired (dropped 50 efficiently at his last game). Kemba has plenty in the tank. What is the risk? If BS (Ben Simmons) can make 30+ million, Kemba can get at least 4 and a non-guaranteed contract. Hell, Dillon Brooks shot Memphis out the playoffs and got 20M for 4 years.
@@cameronno6039 1 good game doesn't mean squat.
Daryl Morey lost faith in James Harden before bballbreakdown...??? 🤨
Why is the music so loud lol
That’s such a crazy title for a video like how can you not mean to be disrespectful
Helped maxey look like a star got embiid top 3 in mvp 2 years in a row while getting 20 and 10 but people say dame cp3 etc are better
So harden helps others but when you need him he doesn’t show up 😂 yeah Dane and CP3 are better
@@jgalvan09 40 twice on a dpoy and 6moty multiple all nba players multiple all defensive team players while the mvp and player they call the 2nd best on the team did what ? Get off your knees bruh
@@jgalvan09 and dame misses the playoffs almost every year or gets bounced in the 1st while not once ever making anybody around him better and cp3 got carried by book and harden on top of being the main reason they don’t have a ring
@@DCFG92 how many game 7s did harden lose ??? Get off your knees boy harden is washed
@@jgalvan09 exactly what a broke back secret fan would say… how do you know his stats or how many games 7’s he’s played if your a hater?
Refs need to have some accountability and be punished just like the players when aggregious mistakes are made. Calling it human error when it can decide who wins the championship or how much money a player will make isn't acceptable. Look at harden in this vid. The horrible calls when he's clearly causing the contact himself get called and the bad fouls aren't. It's ridiculous. Refs don't take any accountability and get mad and give techs if players get mad at their terrible mistakes... That being said harden needs to stop with the arm hooking BS it's just embarrassing at this point. Play basketball dude your a damn professional out there looking like a child. Same with Bron and his flopping. The times that nobody even touches him and he goes flying are hilarious but also embarrassing
He will be a Carmelo Anthony in short order.
Harden isn't gonna average 30 a game anymore. He's not the Houston MVP that warrants a supermax contract. But Harden can still definitely contribute at an All-Star level.
Just the fact that he’s at this point want to max out his payday instead of winning a championship is a huge red flag
Wanting generational money is bad?
@@unknownrage7691 No. But if you’re a team looking for that final piece to go all the way, James Harden just put up a giant signal in the sky that he’s not that guy.
If he was he’d be looking to take a pay cut on a contender.
Tbf to Harden, he has never had a team where in a game 6 or 7, he isn't being double or triple teamed bc the spacing sucks. Even with CP3 in 2019, he was being hacked and doubled like crazy by the Warriors bc there was no other offensive threat. And now on the Sixers, same situation. No one is a 3pt threat besides Maxey but he doesnt command defense yet so they still suffocate Harden
Short answer. No
If you want to build a house then maybe with all those bricks he can surely build a two storey house
The short answer: hell to the no
i feel like james harden is acting like carmelo anthony back when he was at the knicks, but instead of taking paycut like carmelo, hes doubling down on it
Kobe or Wade > Harden
Better Scorer is different from "Crafty" Scorer and only "in the regular season"
At this point harden is a 3rd option for a contending team in the regular season and better off as a 6th man in the playoffs
Punish Harden for being left handed lol
Having the top 2 chokers in the same team...What could possibly go wrong???
Braids with a receding hairline looks bad. Time to come home James.
The Slander makes no sence. Harden had a good season.
Heck no,I don't understand why teams are even bothering
People that don't play basketball will not realize how hard it is to shoot IF THEY HARDLY TOUCH THE BALL.. always waiting on the PG to get the ball to them. It's why so many wing players are cold' when they get a pass to just shoot off from the the corner. They gotta feel and dribble the ball a little to get in riddim. The ball has got to move around. Blah
Idk what the Clippers or the Suns have to offer for Harden, money/value wise. Both teams are not going to offer one of their best players, who are the ones that fit money wise. It's not just that he doesn't worth 35-37 millions, it's that it makes him barely imposible to trade and to fit under the new salary cap, specially on his favored destinations. You could send him to the Heat, I guess, but Harden for Herro is basically a robbery. Meaning, Herro is just gonna get better and Harden is just gonna get worse. So in the end you have yet another toxic contract you can put on top of the Tobias Harris one. A responsible GM would have them both walk out and rebuild as quick as possible so you only waste 1 year of Embiid's prime. It is what it is. Run this team back is just gonna drop same result or worse, specially if your top 2 guy doesn't wanna be there.
I think he can get a chip just need the right chemistry..made no sense him coming to philly
he should have stayed in the nets with kd and kyrie.
@@leoreoibardo9294 this. Im a diehard jharden fan, i was pissed off when he decided to leave the nets.