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Is James Harden crazy or a genius for his one-legged shot?

The Houston Rockets smashed the Shanghai Sharks by a score of 140-71 in their first exhibition game on Monday night, but the final score is absolutely meaningless.

Heck, preseason in general is pretty much meaningless except for rookies and guys battling for roster spots.

But sometimes, these arbitrary games can serve as a means for players to work on things they normally wouldn’t be able to work on during the regular season.

In James Harden’s case, that thing is a one-legged 3-point shot, a move he had been working on all summer.

Harden unveiled his new move on Monday evening, side-stepping a Shanghai defender and firing a triple off of one leg from the corner. He missed, but it was entertaining to watch, and, dare I say it, it could become a legitimate part of Harden’s arsenal this coming season:

The two-time scoring champion is already one of the most unguardable players in the NBA, so if he can actually make this work, it will make him that much more difficult to defend.

What’s weird is Harden shoots it off of his left leg, which is atypical for a left-handed shooter. You don’t jump off of your left leg if you’re shooting a left-handed layup, and vice versa for righties.

But the fact that it’s that unorthodox makes it that much more intriguing.

We know Harden has a lethal step-back jumper and has burned many a defender with it over the years, even when the defender knows it’s coming. Harden is that good.

Now, he is adding this little wrinkle that will give him another option on the perimeter and make his shot nearly unblockable. If you do try to contest it, you may just end up fouling him.

The fact that Harden is still trying to evolve his game and come up with new moves is a testament to his work ethic, as he is coming off a season in which he averaged 36.1 points per game.

He could never add another move for the rest of his life and still be the best scorer in the league.

But Harden clearly is not satisfied and wants to up the ante, which is great to see.

Of course, it would be nice if Harden dedicated more time to working on his defense. But, hey,  if you can’t become a good defender, you might as well compensate by basically being impregnable offensively.

Seriously, though, if Harden can get this shot down and it becomes a regular part of his array of moves, defenders (and non-Rockets fans) are going to become even more frustrated.

The post Is James Harden crazy or a genius for his one-legged shot? appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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