Rested Legs for Star Players
James Harden is well-regarded as one of the best regular season players over the past decade. He has finished top-3 in MVP for the past three seasons, including winning the award in 2018, and will likely finish top-3 again this year.
He has averaged over 30 points per game for three years in a row, and continues to do so at a fairly efficient rate.
However, we hear it time and time again, that James Harden and the Houston Rockets are going to be forced to switch-up their play-style if they ever want a hope at competing in the playoffs.
Harden has yet to shoot over 44% from the field for the entirety of a playoff run since becoming a member of the Houston Rockets, and has a reputation of being a lazy defender. Despite Harden’s capability of being one of the best post-defenders in the league, especially at the guard position, he usually isn’t tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
This leaves Harden’s isolation-heavy style of play to be quite unsuccessful in the playoffs for the most part.
Unlike the majority of people, I think a strong isolation-player, like Harden can thrive in the playoffs. He still has to tone down the number of isolation possessions a bit, but for the most part, I think it has to do with tired legs.
Harden has a reputations as one of the most durable players in the league. In the past five seasons, Harden has suited up for 394 of a potential 410 regular season games, and has averaged over 35 minutes per game in every single one of those years.
By the time the Rockets arrive to the playoffs, defenses key-in on Harden a lot more, and he has proven time and time again, that his legs can’t hold up for the entirety of a playoff run.
He doesn’t get to the line at the same rate as he does in the regular season, and his 3-point percentage often drops drastically. Add this on top of being an average defender at best, and Harden’s inconsistencies make it difficult for the Rockets to have consistently good playoff outings.
When the league returns, players will have been off for right around three months, providing a substantial amount of time for rest. Harden has proven that at the start of the season, when everyone is on an even playing field, he is absolutely dominant.
Through the first 15 games of the 2019-20 season, Harden averaged 38.4 points per game, leading the Rockets to an 11-4 record throughout that hot start. And with that picture surfacing of skinny James Harden floating around the internet, I don’t think there should be any doubt that Harden will be in-shape, rested, and ready for the playoffs this time around.
