Over the past few seasons, James Harden has cemented himself as one of the best scorers in the league. In some people’s eyes, he has the potential to be one of the greatest scorers of all-time. While that would certainly be a lofty goal, there is no denying that Harden has the potential, as long as he can start posting some more consistently great shooting percentages.
One area of Harden’s game that some feel is lacking, is his defense. In a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Harden completely refuted this idea and even challenged some of his opponents to come and try him out on the court. Clearly, Harden isn’t going to allow himself to be punked by anybody.
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“Come try it and the s**t won’t work,” Harden said. “I’m a competitor. I’m a beast. Whatever teams’ schemes are, we switch everything, and they’ve got to find a way to attack us. It’s not going to be perfect. Some guys are going to score on me. That’s a part of the game, but more times than not, we’re going to get a stop and they’ll shy away from it.”
Harden and the Houston Rockets have yet to make an NBA Finals appearance since his tenure there although they are looking to make it a reality this season. The Rockets are getting hot and have the potential to make a splash in the postseason. If Harden can sure up his defense, there is no denying they have a chance.