Report: James Harden’s Defense Impressing Team USA Staff
James Harden is respectfully recognized as primarily an offensive player. The Houston Rockets have one of the best scorers in the league in their back court, but Harden has yet to show the willingness to make an impact on the defensive end. Just this year a full eleven-minute montage video went viral showing an ensemble of Harden’s blatant mistakes and miscues on defense.
But according to Bobby Gonzalez of SheridanHoops.com, Harden is impressing his coaches at Team USA training camp with, wait for it, defense:
I spoke to several members of the USAB staff, and behind the scenes they were amazed at how good James Harden has become as an overall player since his last tour with Team USA two years ago. The fact that he came in and was focused on being a lockdown defender blew them away…
But now I am being told Harden is getting it done on [defense], which has always been the major complaint about his game.
Sheridan Hoops was the first original source to report that LeBron James would return to Cleveland.
I think this is partially a product of what I feel is the best environment to be in as an athlete. When you’re constantly competing with and against other great players, you have no choice but to improve yourself. These “King of the Hill” one-on-one battles going on at Team USA practice has Harden guarding the likes of Kevin Durant and Paul George on an island — that can make you a better defender. But defense is also a choice and a mentality. Maybe Harden is starting to trying to embrace it.