Ever since he was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder, James Harden has performed at an elite level and has emerged as the best shooting guard in the NBA. But when people think about who’s going to be awarded the Most Valuable Player, they often talk about Stephen Curry, LeBron James, or Russell Westbrook. Despite this, over the course of the 2014-15 season, Harden has put himself in that discussion. With all the things that he contributes to his team, it is only right to have him in the MVP conversation.
Harden has established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. He has a bevy of moves that shakes defenders out of their shoes, can pull up a jump shot from seemingly unlimited range, and drives to the basket with a certain ferocity and finesse that very few players possess. But his value does not rely solely on his ability to score. Rather, it is in the numerous ways he is able to dissect and carve-up opposing defenses.
In addition to averaging 27.1 points, Harden also provides seven assists, and almost six rebounds per game. So far in the month of March, he has notched three double-doubles and one triple-double that were accompanied by very high scoring outputs. In one of those games, Harden grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with a career-high 50 points.
For many of these games, the Houston Rockets had to make do without their other star player, Dwight Howard. The 6’11”, 275 lb center was nursing a right knee injury that sidelined him for 26 games. In this stretch without Howard, Harden carried his team by helping them win 17 of their last 26 games and the Rockets currently sit as the third place team in the Western Conference.
The injury of Dwight Howard allowed James Harden to step up, put the team on his back, and go to work. He was playing at MVP caliber even with Howard on the court, but showed that he was capable of elevating his game even further with his absence. Harden was able to show just how valuable and instrumental he is to his team.
He is the heart and soul of the Houston Rockets. Without him, they would not be nearly as successful as they are now. There is an air of supreme confidence around him and an unyielding will to win. His attitude and actions have inspired the rest his team to play at their highest level as well. He is simply a player whose presence is enough to make the rest of his team better.
Now with Dwight Howard back in the mix after his return on March 25, Harden will not have to shoulder the load as much as he has been, but that should not stop his productivity. In fact, this would relieve some of the pressure off of him, allow him to spread ball more, and conserve more energy on defense. As a result, Harden will be able get his teammates more involved, rack up more assists, and find better scoring opportunities for himself.
Because of his efforts, the Houston Rockets have become a contender for an NBA Championship Title. Opposing teams should be very afraid. They should not only fear this surging Rockets team, instead they should fear the beard.
