For most of James Harden’s 13-year career, he has been seen as mostly a scorer — and for good reason. At his peak, James is probably the best scorer in basketball, with a great shot, elite ball handling, and nearly flawless finishing ability around the rim.
So when his numbers took a major dip last season, many fans and experts began to wonder if Harden’s game was falling victim to father time.
This season, we can probably expect a better showing from the Beard, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to average 35 again.
James Harden Says He Is Prioritizing Winning Over Personal Stats
In a chat with Joe Vardon of The Athletic, James spoke on the balance between scoring and playmaking and conceded that he doesn’t mind if his scoring takes a back seat for the sake of winning more games.
Harden said his mere presence on the court should make it harder for teams to double Embiid as much as they do, and the right entry pass into the post (what Rivers spoke about on the video) can get Embiid another 8-10 points with minimal effort. After that is when it would be, or should be, Harden’s theoretical time to turn on his own jets.
“At this point, (big) numbers are great, but whether I’m averaging 22 or 28, I think it’s more that I’m making an impact on the game each and every night,” he said. “I don’t really think about numbers. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about numbers, honestly.”
“Me averaging 20 points, averaging damn near a triple-double, us winning at a high rate, one or two seed, giving us a really good chance where we’re all playing really good basketball, or averaging 28 in the same kind of thing — it’s all the same,” Harden said. “Ultimately, it’s winning a championship. The numbers don’t really mean anything, individually.”
While some fans might find a reason to disagree, it’s a pretty solid mindset from Harden. Instead of focusing on his own numbers or trying to meet his own performance standards, James is just focused on doing whatever he can to help his team win, and that extends well beyond just scoring.
This season, it’s going to take a lot for him to lift the 76ers to a place of contention in the East, but anything is possible if Harden does well enough out there.
