For all that James Harden does on the basketball court, defense seems to be a glaring weakness for him. By all accounts, the Beard isn’t just bad at that end of the floor, he doesn’t even try.
But according to Sixers star Ben Simmons, people should re-think that stigma about Harden.
“Yo, here’s the one thing. I’ve got something to say. Everyone talks on James’ D, but he can play D. I don’t think y’all understand how strong that dude is. He’s a strong guy. A lot of people listen to analytics and stuff, it makes no sense. Analytically? You can’t always look at numbers, man.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud7ByDoINmQ
Simmons didn’t elaborate more on what, exactly, makes Harden an underrated defender, but he did mention strength. Apparently, the Rockets guard is stronger than we think which, if true, certainly gives him an advantage in guarding his opponents.
Keep in mind that Simmons himself is a good, strong defender so he knows more than anyone what it takes on that end of the floor.
Needless to say, his comments obviously change the conversation when we talk about The Beard. While scoring points is his specialty, he may have much more up his sleeve than we realize. Thanks to Simmons for making that known.
