James Harden may be one of the best players on the planet, but he’s also almost equally as controversial.
On the court, his strategy for selling calls and getting to the line is truly unprecedented and it rubs a lot of people the wrong way.
Recently, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue went viral for calling Harden out on his excessive and continuous flopping, going so far as to say he wouldn’t be a Top 10 scorer if half of his free throws were taken away.
Embiid is #1 in the league in free throws and James Harden is #3. You take away their free throws and neither guy would be top-10 in scoring.”
Truth be told, this narrative has existed for years now, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all. For Harden, though, he doesn’t let any of it get to his head.
In a chat with Zion Olojede of Complex, he gave his reaction to the haters.
“I don’t even pay attention to it. Free throws are a part of the game. You look at who leads the league, Joel and Giannis, what about if you take away their free throws? I don’t understand what that comment meant. Free throws are a part of the game. It’s on the defense to have discipline and not foul. That’s what coaches should be teaching their players. For me I don’t pay attention to it, I just try to go out there and make an impact on the game in a positive way every night.”
Harden, 32, is off to a rough start for the Sixers. With averages of 21 points and 3.4 turnovers per game on 40% shooting, he has yet to find his groove since leaving Brooklyn. Meanwhile, his free-throw attempts are at the highest they’ve been since the 2019-20 season.
After leaving the Rockets and Nets behind in a dramatic fashion, Harden is on a short leash. If he fails to make things work in Philly, he’ll be all out of excuses.
Needless to say, this will be a very important spring for the 10x All-Star.
