James Harden, The Beard, or however you address him, is currently having a career year for the Houston Rockets. It was already hard to imagine Harden improving any more since he finished second in MVP voting last year. This season, Harden is posting averages of 31.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game. He is also shooting 54 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep.
These averages have allowed Harden to take over the entire NBA. He is clearly a frontrunner for this year’s MVP award, and it is definitely difficult to imagine any player that can take the award away from him at this point.
He has led the Rockets to the best record in the league, currently pacing in points per game as well. While those facts are remarkable, what’s even more mind-boggling is that Harden is also leading the league in isolation points, against entire teams, according to Kelly Scaletta of Bleacher Report.
James Harden averages more points per game in isolation than any team in the NBA. Yes, that’s right. TEAM. Harden: 12.1 Thunder: 10.7 Cavaliers: 9.8. He scores more than the Spurs, Bulls and 76ers combined.
Harden has flexed his muscles as one of the best scorers in the league. The Rockets star is an adept 3-point and free throw shooter. He can also convert difficult shots in the paint. Perhaps his greatest feature is his notorious stepback jumper that has claimed many victims this season, including Wesley Johnson of the Los Angeles Clippers.
still not over James Harden’s crossover
@NBA pic.twitter.com/N47eMG3qed
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 1, 2018
These offensive weapons enable Harden to post more isolation points than many NBA teams. At this point of the season, it’s fair to assume that he is the real deal. In fact, this is just another statistic to aid Harden in his quest for winning the league’s most significant award.
The post James Harden averages more isolation points per game than any other team in the NBA appeared first on ClutchPoints.
