Houston Rockets guard James Harden is one of the elite scorers in the game. He can get it from anywhere on the floor whether it’s on a step-back triple, or getting to the basket with his elite handle, or drawing fouls and getting to the line.
However, he receives a lot of criticism for that last part. A lot of people don’t want to sit and watch him shoot a ton of free throws a game, but that’s the way his game is. He’s an expert at drawing fouls and getting his points that way.
In a sitdown with former Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson, Harden feels like the criticism he receives is the same type of criticism thrown Iverson’s way. Harden told Iverson:
I feel like everything that I’m going through right now is what you went through, just a newer version. You keep on saying criticism negative energy negativity. Why does he do this why does he do that, like nobody understands and I’m cool with that, you know, I’m not here to explain myself or try to get people to understand why come from what I do.
Iverson was also an elite scorer during his time in the league and he was also criticized for the way he did things. Maybe not for the exact same reasons, but they both share the same aspects that they are elite scorers, yet received a ton of criticisms from people. [lawrence-related id=35238,35229,35222]