Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan. 18 at Houston Rockets
By Ti Windisch
Player To Watch: James Harden
James Harden is the peak of efficient basketball in the NBA, or at least as close as the Association has gotten thus far. Kevin Durant may have a better true shooting percentage, but that’s only because he’s a cheat code making nearly 60 percent of his two-point shots.
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Harden’s diet of shots is almost entirely three-pointers and shots at the rim. Harden very nearly shoots as many threes as he does two-point shots–out of 18.9 shots per game, 9.0 of them are threes.
He’s also moved past taking long twos. Just 8.8 percent of Harden’s shots come from between ten and 16 feet, and 6.3 percent come from between 16 feet and the three-point arc.
Instead, Harden takes 22.8 percent of his shots within three feet of the rim, 14.6 percent of them from between three and ten feet from it, and the final 47.6 percent from beyond the arc. He also gets to the free throw line quite a bit, taking 10.5 foul shots per game.
All that incredible stuff to say about Harden’s offensive game, and we’re not even to the best part! He’s averaging a ridiculous 11.7 assists per game, a career-best mark and the highest average in the NBA this season. As hard as it is to stop Harden, when teams send help they’ve already given up another three to one of his teammates, who he has no trouble finding at almost any time.
We’re now passed people saying negative things about James Harden, either in relation to his defense or his so-called flopping. He’s a nearly unstoppable offensive weapon, and thanks to D’Antoni he’s finally being appreciated as such.