Quote:
Originally Posted by KC_Connection
Harden was a fantastic player in the minutes he played, one of the best and most productive in the league as that shows. The fact that he didn't show up in the Miami series was a huge reason OKC wasn't successful. While that statistic suggests that Harden could be one of the best players in the league if given the chance, he's never had to be the focal point of a team's offense (and therefore the focus of opposing defenses) like guys like LeBron, Durant, Kobe, and Paul. Until he proves he can do that (and he may not get that chance unless he leaves), it wouldn't be fair to those players to compare him. As it stands, he's just a tremendous #2/#3 option.
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To follow up on this post from last June, Harden has obviously since been traded and has been given the opportunity to be a #1 (which he has proven more than capable of). He's 4th in win shares this year behind Durant, James, and Paul and 15th in the league in both PER and WS/48. He's got to keep it up for a full year, but in this limited time he seems to be showing that he's a top 10-15 player in the league. I still think if he shows up for the Finals last year, OKC probably pushes that series to 7 and maybe even wins it.