With the Houston Rockets off Monday, reserve guard Ben McLemore took to Instagram to praise the leadership of superstar James Harden.
McLemore is relatively new to the Rockets, having just signed with the team in late July. But he’s already gained an appreciation for Harden, a former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) who is leading the league in scoring at 37.9 points per game this season.
Regarding Harden, McLemore wrote:
Succeeding in this league takes a lot more than talent and a good work ethic. It takes leadership. Someone to step up and selflessly devote time and energy in your progression. As good as James is on the court, he’s just as good at inspiring and bettering those around him. Forever grateful for my brother looking out for me and helping me achieve what I know I can. Foot on the gas, no stopping now… Salute, brother!
It’s a critical week personally for McLemore, who as of next Sunday will begin earning more money than the value of his contract guarantee. Thus, he needs to give the Rockets ample reason to keep him around.
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But over the course of the first 17 games, the team seems to be impressed with the 6-foot-3 guard’s contributions. His minutes per game jumped from 7.3 in October to 24.2 in November, and he started four games when usual starting small forward Danuel House Jr. was injured.
For the season as a whole, McLemore is averaging 7.3 points in 20.2 minutes per game. His 29.6% clip on three-pointers is down significantly from 41.5% last season in Sacramento, but the Rockets have still largely succeeded with McLemore on the court. To that point, his defensive rating of 103.9 and overall net rating of 10.9 are both the best of any current rotation player in Houston.
Whether it’s this week or down the road, McLemore eventually needs to make a greater proportion of his shots in head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s three-point-heavy offense to be a permanent rotation fixture.
But after largely being viewed as a bust relative to his No. 7 overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Kings, the athletic 26-year-old has a golden opportunity now on a winning team and probable title contender in Houston (11-6) to reshape his career narrative.
His relationship and chemistry with Harden certainly can’t hurt.
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