Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, and most likely a first-ballot Hall of Famer, even if he never wins a ring. Yet, his style of play has plenty of detractors.
Throughout the years, multiple fans and pundits have criticized Harden’s iso-heavy and free-throw-heavy game. He’s never been much of a defender, and he tends to underperform when the playoffs come, with some exceptions.
Those woes are once again on display. He’s not shooting the ball welland barely managed to score 8 points in the Sixers’ Game 2 win over the Brooklyn Nets. That’s why NBA analyst Colin Cowherd couldn’t take it anymore.
Colin Cowherd Puts James Harden On Blast
“Playoff James Harden has surfaced,” Cowherd said on his show. “Through two games, 32% shooting, 15 a game, 4.5 turnovers, zero free throws. This is why I don’t trust him. If Harden has a bad shooting night, I don’t even wanna get into his defense— on his good nights, he doesn’t play it.”
“Zero free throws in two games,” Cowherd added. “Because as we’ve said for years, you don’t get the whistle in the playoffs and so he’s not as effective. He’s always been a nightclub guy, a late-night guy, a not-as-committed guy; he’s got in and out-of-shape-guy. That’s fine, but look at how fast he has eroded over the last four years.”
To be fair, the Sixers have dominated, and Harden has been a proficient playmaker throughout the course of the season. Also, he’s been in great shape with the Sixers, so maybe those shots are uncalled-for.
But Harden has a long history of not doing so well when the season is on the line. So, some may not want to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point in his career anymore, which is valid.