James Harden is one of the most prolific offensive players in the NBA. He has helped to change the game with his style of play. Learn more about James Harden below.
Basketball IQ
James Edward Harden Jr. was born on August 26. 1989. Harden is from California. The future all-star grew up in Compton and was mostly raised by his mother. Harden impressed coaches early on with his instincts. The young guard was a smart basketball player. Smarter than many other players his age. A growth spurt happened, and his skills became increasingly refined. James Harden would lead his high school to back to back championships and was named a McDonald's All-American in 2007.
Highly Recruited
He was a highly sought after recruit. He would eventually play his college basketball for Arizona State. The program was struggling right before Harden’s arrival, and he was able to turn them around quickly. By Harden’s Junior year, his final in college, Arizona State made the NCAA Tournament.
Thunderous Debut
The Oklahoma City Thunder would draft James Harden with the third pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. While in OKC, Harden would join forces with two other top players of his generation, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant. The young trio would take the Thunder all the way to the NBA Finals, where they would lose to LeBron James and his Miami Heat. The trio never got the chance to reach their full potential and Harden would be traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.
Blasting Off
It was a shock when OKC traded Harden to Houston over salary concerns. Harden was the third option on OKC, and the Rockets were looking for him to be a number one option for their team. They wanted him to be the face of the franchise. Harden was able to rise to the occasion for Houston and he consistently put up MVP worthy numbers. He would bring home the MVP Trophy in 2018. Harden was an incredible individual talent, but his critics always mentioned the fact that the Houston Rockets did not accomplish much success as a franchise with him as its star.
Brooklyn & 76ers
Harden would eventually relocate from the Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. Harden would join the most talented team of his career. He would again team with Kevin Durant, who had recently signed with the Nets. Kyrie Irving was also on the team. The trio would join forces to become one of the great “Superteams” of all time… on paper. The Nets had a lot of great names on its roster, but they accomplished nothing as a unit. The team broke up quickly and Harden would be moved to the 76ers in 2021.
Legacy
The NBA today is fast paced, and scoring is the most important part of the game. The three point shot, and high level ball handling, are the things every great scorer today must have in their repertoire. A lot of this is thanks to Harden, and other dynamic scorers of this era of basketball. James Harden is one of the most important offensive players to ever play in the league.
- Adam C. Better
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