There’s no one who can deny that James Harden is one of the most talented and unique players in NBA history. He plays at his own pace, tricks defenders into fouling him, and can put up points and set his teammates up like few players ever could.
But as great as he is in the regular season, he’s never been able to replicate that success in the playoffs. He’s got some well-documented struggles, terrible shooting performances, and hasn’t made it back to the NBA Finals since his days in Oklahoma.
That’s why Hall of Famer Paul Pierce took a huge shot at him, stating that he hasn’t made the most of all the talented teammates he’s had, such as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul.
Paul Pierce Says He’d Have 5 Rings If He Had Played With The Same Talent As James Harden
“But my thing is when I look at that, Embiid right now is the best big in the game but I’m like … if I had the chance to play with the talent that Harden plays with, I’d probably be walking out of here with 5 championships,” Pierce said.
Pierce did have his fair share of incredibly talented teammates in Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen, so this statement is a bit of a stretch. Even so, Harden could’ve and should’ve had at least one ring by now.
Charles Barkley Says Harden Stinks In Big Games
Harden’s woes in big games were at a full display again last week vs. the Brooklyn Nets. He had his worst game of the season and prompted Charles Barkley to raise more doubts about his ability to deliver when it matters the most:
“James has got a reputation,” Barkley said. “He has struggled in all big games. If you go back and look, even in Houston, when they should have beaten the Golden State Warriors, they were up until Chris Paul got hurt. And Chris was the leader of that team.”
“But James is developing a reputation, and it’s fair, James is a terrific player. But when lights are the brightest, he has played awful,” Barkley added. “The thing about being a great player, you don’t have to play great. You just can’t stink up the joint. And he stunk up the joint. The 76ers have to win a championship in the next two years or that’s going to go down as one of the worst trades ever because the reason I wasn’t crazy about the trade – The Nets are going to have KD, Kyrie, and Ben Simmons, probably for the next 10 years. I think the 76ers have to win this year or next year.”
You have to be worried if you’re a Sixers fan. As good as this team can be, Harden has a history of not being prepared for big games, and not caring too much abouta loss, either. Hopefully, this will be the year he finally learns from his past mistakes.
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