Who's James Harden defending again? Oh, no one? Sounds about right.
Lauded for his scoring prowess, playmaking abilities and hair-follicle superiority, Harden isn't known for his defense. His teams have allowed over a point per 100 possessions more with him on the floor since he entered the league. Suffice it to say, he has been far from perfect.
Against the Los Angeles Clippers, he was even worse.
The Houston Rockets were lit up for 137 points by the surging Clippers, who ruined Houston's perfect record. On defense, Harden was particularly terrible. More than a few times, he lost track of his man, was beaten off the dribble or simply didn't put his hands up to contest the shot. It was ugly.
My favorite moment from the video above comes at the 44-second mark, when J.J. Redick is standing idle in the strong-side corner. As Blake Griffin sets a screen for Chris Paul, Redick streaks past Harden, who isn't even looking in his direction. By the time Harden realizes he's been punked, Griffin has already hit Redick with a pass for an easy two.
Defensive efforts like Harden's are why the Rockets found themselves on the w ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Favale
Watch James Harden Play Atrocious ‘Defense’ During Blowout Loss vs. Clippers
November 5th, 2013 by Dan Favale Leave a reply »
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