Considering the offseason trade request that remains unfulfilled, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is under the microscope from fans this season. Over his last three games, Harden is averaging just 17 points per game (28.0% on 3-pointers), which is well below the norm for the NBA’s three-time defending scoring champion.
That’s led many to question whether Harden is fully committed to the team, including Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy in a “hot mic” moment on the team’s postgame television show after Wednesday’s loss at Indiana.
But there are some extenuating circumstances. For starters, Harden is coming off a sprained ankle that forced him to miss last Saturday’s game. Second, it’s quite plausible that he’s simply in a cold shooting stretch, which is far from unprecedented. For example, in January 2020, Harden went through nine games in which he scored 24.8 points per game on 34.1% shooting and 23.1% from 3-point range. It’s possible that Harden’s shooting touch is just off, perhaps related to injury, and fans are reading more into it than they normally would based on the offseason storylines.
One argument in favor of Harden’s commitment could be his lofty assist totals. In that rough January 2020 stretch, which also took place over a much longer period of nine games, Harden averaged just 5.7 assists. In his last three games, however, Harden has led the Rockets as a facilitator with 11.7 assists per game — including a team-high 13 dimes in Friday’s 132-90 rout (box score) over the visiting Orlando Magic.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=rL85eIWMjS-1101750-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
When asked after the game about various criticisms of Harden’s effort, Houston head coach Stephen Silas said he didn’t agree.
“James’ effort level has been great,” Silas said postgame. “He’s done everything I’ve needed him to do. I don’t really have a response to anyone saying he’s not playing hard, because that’s not what I see.”
Ben McLemore hits his third 3-pointer, he's 3-3 in his first game of the season.
James Harden spent at least 10 seconds dancing for him on the sideline during that timeout.
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 9, 2021
Harden Status: Engaged ‼️ https://t.co/sqLDqSuTxG pic.twitter.com/YXXHjNnrun
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) January 9, 2021
The time will come when the Rockets (3-4) need Harden to do more as a scorer, perhaps in their next two games on Sunday and Tuesday against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. But on Friday, the Rockets got a blowout victory with Harden primarily as a leader and facilitator — and they’re convinced that he’s in the right place, mentally, for the team.
[lawrence-related id=42602]
Stephen Silas on Harden's effort this season: "James' effort level has been great. He's done everything I've needed him to do. I don't really have a response to anyone saying he's not playing hard, because that's not what I see." #Rockets
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 9, 2021
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=HPikuXsIGf-1101843-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on