While his upside might not be that of a superstar, he looks very likely to achieve his potential, making him a pretty safe pick. Jonathan Givony DraftExpress. Joseph Treutlein DraftExpress. Joey Whelan DraftExpress. While the amount of media attention he got may not have matched the likes of Kevin Love or O. We also noticed at the adidas Nations tournament in Dallas that he appears to have improved his physique over the summer, standing a solid with a very sturdy and now slimmer frame.
Not a flashy ball-handler, Harden is very controlled with the ball, and rarely will use many highly advanced moves other than his effective crossover. As a jump shooter, Harden is very effective spotting up, with range to the NBA three-point line, but his effectiveness falls off when pulling up, as he lacks a certain degree of fluidity or comfort when transitioning from dribble to shot with a defender on him.
He has a tendency to fade away on these pull-up shots from deep, and his accuracy is not very good when pulling up from mid-range. Improving this ripple of his game, while making him more of a threat from the mid-range, would make him that much more dangerous a player.
He clearly excels there as well, showing the same terrific understanding of the game in this area and frequently creating good shot attempts for teammates. His excellent fundamentals and basketball IQ really stand out when you consider that he was one of the youngest players in all of college basketball last season, having only turned 19 a month ago. In Dallas at the adidas Nations tournament, he arrived a day later than most but wasted no time at all asserting his will against anyone he matched up with, largely with his ability to create both for himself and especially for others.
Eric Weiss DraftExpress. They like to bring him off a handoff or short cut coming off a curl to allow him to catch the ball and go straight to the basket with his left hand his natural hand , where he can either take contact and get to the free throw line or finish craftily around the rim.
Harden is a mature player with great poise and excellent scoring instincts, showing great understanding of angles and terrific fundamentals to get the job done. He possesses excellent timing and really sees the floor well, reading defenses and knowing how to exploit openings as soon as they materialize. He likes to use jab-steps and shot-fakes on the perimeter and has plenty of counters he can go to.
Something that he can probably still add to his game is an effective pull-up jumper he can utilize from mid-range. Having a weapon like that at his disposal would make him a very complete scorer, and really could take his offensive game to the next level in his sophomore season.
Defensively, Harden is not the easiest player to evaluate since Arizona State spends a considerable amount of time in a matchup zone. He does seem to have a good understanding on this end of the floor though, looking pretty intense, with good fundamentals, and a nice wingspan, and doing a solid job of keeping his man in front of him, although his lateral quickness does not look outstanding.
As far as his NBA prospects go, even though there is clearly a lot to like here, it feels a bit early to definitively evaluate his NBA potential at this point. Not being a prototypical athlete at the shooting guard position think Martell Webster , nor a superb shot-creator, there are some question marks regarding how his scoring prowess will carry over to the next level.
But that is the kind of thing that can develop over time, especially when you are dealing with a kid who is just His form isn't ideal, but in watching him play you will see a consistent release which is a good sign—think about Reggie Miller's form.
Bottom Line: Harden's one of the best scorers in this draft class, but the issue of his aggressiveness may scare off some teams. When you are picking in the top three or top five, usually you are trying to find a guy that can be a franchise cornerstone. Harden seems like he is going to be more of a system guy, a guy who needs to find the right fit. If he does, he could end up being at ppg guy down the road. Enjoy our content? Harden became one of the best one-on-one scorers and playmakers in basketball with the Houston Rockets.
Harden and Westbrook have now found themselves reunited in Houston. A championship has eluded Harden, but his scoring ability is second to none. So if Harden went third overall, that means two teams passed on him.
Who were they, and who did they take instead? The No. Mullens C Thunder Rodrigue Beaubois PG Bulls Taj Gibson PF Timberwolves Wayne Ellington SG Lakers Toney Douglas SG Cavaliers Christian Eyenga SF. All rights reserved. Blake Griffin. Reminds us of a young Carlos Boozer. Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet is finally living up to hype. James Harden. He isn't flashy, but is lethally effective. Ricky Rubio. Will his game translate to the NBA? Tyreke Evans. Reminds scouts of Jerry Stackhouse.
Jonny Flynn. Explosive athlete with lateral quickness. Jordan Hill. Needs strength but has explosiveness. Stephen Curry. Scoring machine can play the point, too. DeMar DeRozan. Size and skill draw Kobe comparisons.
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