- 9,086
- 11
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2006
More on James
[h1][/h1]
[h1][/h1]
[h1]James Harden has a bit of point guard in him
[/h1]James Harden insists he's never considered himself capable of playing point guard. Two weeks into his NBA career, the Thunder rookie leads the league in a category normally dominated by point guards.
Thunder rookie James Harden has never considered himself a point guard, but is leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
After dishing out eight assists in his hometown to spark the Thunder to an 83-79 win over the Los Angeles Clippers late Wednesday night at the Staples Center, Harden leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Known more for his perimeter shooting, Harden is an underrated passer. Through eight games, he's compiled 28 assists and committed only five turnovers, an off-the-chart 5.60 ratio.
"He really understands the game," said Oklahoma City veteran point guard Kevin Ollie. "When Russell (Westbrook) went down, we shot him off some pick-and-rolls and he made some great decisions."
Westbrook suffered a mild sprained ankle in the third quarter. Coach Scott Brooks said Westbrook could have returned but opted to stay with Harden and Ollie, who ignited the comeback.
"I didn't really play him at the point," Brooks said. "I just like the way he makes decisions at the two (shooting guard). He makes plays. That's what he needs to continue to do."
Harden played at Artesia High School, a 30-minute drive from the Staples Center, leading the Pioneers to back-to-back state titles and a combined 66-3 record his junior and senior seasons.
A first-team All-American at Arizona State, Harden averaged 20.1 points last season. He also averaged 4.2 assists, which ranked eighth in the Pac 10.
"It felt great to be back home, back in L.A.," Harden said. "And it felt really good to win the game. When Russell went down, I was just trying to be productive, whether that was penetrating to create for others or make plays. When Kevin (Durant) got back out there, he led us to the victory."
As humble as he is versatile, Harden played a key role, recording a season-high 24 minutes.
"He has some (point guard) in him," Durant said. "He can also play small forward or shooting guard. He's a very versatile player who is doing a great job. He gives us a good spark off the bench."
Harden, 20, never played point guard at Arizona State but helped the Sun Devils end a lengthy NCAA Tournament drought.
"I handled the ball a little bit," Harden said. "When we got the rebound and pushed it I had to make quick decisions."
It's his decision-making that general manager Sam Presti talked about more than his perimeter shooting when the Thunder selected him No. 3 overall in the draft.
Harden's shooting has been sub-par. He's shooting 36.7 percent from the field but is 43.8 percent on 3-pointers.
"His shots will start to drop," Brooks said. "He's a good shooter. What I like is he's making some good decisions and making good plays."
Artesia stand up.
