This season's NBA regular season has been going on for more than two months, and the Western Conference is in chaos. Several top teams such as the Clippers, Nuggets, and Lakers have slowly caught up with the fourth-place Mavericks, making it seem that a 60% winning rate is not a safe threshold for playoff tickets! Over these two months of games, my most direct feeling is that there are fewer and fewer stars in the entire league who can lead their teams to a guaranteed bottom line! Let me give you some examples: Curry, at nearly 37 years old, has seen his average stats drop to 22 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists this season, with a record of 12 wins and 14 losses in the games he played. In many tough matches, Curry always seems to be in a slump, such as shooting 4 out of 14 against the Cavaliers, 2 out of 13 against the Pacers, and 0 out of 7 against the Grizzlies. The Warriors also suffered defeat after defeat, dropping from first place in the West at the beginning of the season.
Another example is the Suns, who have a record of 1 win and 9 losses when Durant is absent; when Booker is absent, the team's record is 1 win and 5 losses. The Suns' total salary exceeds 220million,butwithoutasuperstarworth50 million, they become a mediocre team. Where did the remaining 170milliongo?EspeciallyBill,whoearns50.2 million but averages only 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, which is tasteless and hard to get rid of. Including the Mavericks, after Doncic went down, the team surprisingly lost consecutive games to the Trail Blazers and Kings. Irving is indeed a top scorer and a qualified second-in-command, but relying on him to lead the team feels like a house of cards about to collapse. However, there is one team that stands out, the Clippers. With Leonard, the team leader, out, Harden, who was forced to become the team leader, maintained a win rate close to 60%, almost catching up with the Mavericks!
Looking at a set of statistics, according to American media statistics, the Clippers have an undefeated record of 11 wins and 0 losses this season when Harden shoots at least 10 free throws in a game! This data really surprised me, such as shooting 12 free throws against the Pelicans (eventually scoring 27 points), 10 free throws against the Grizzlies (eventually scoring 21 points), 14 free throws against the Jazz (eventually scoring 41 points), and 13 free throws against the Nuggets (eventually scoring 39 points). Harden averages 7.4 free throw attempts per game this season, which has caught up with the standard of the last eight games of his final season with the Rockets. In the past two seasons, Harden averaged only 4.8 and 6.2 free throw attempts per game. There are two ways to think about this: firstly, the Clippers' offense needs the 35-year-old Harden to attack the basket or score by drawing fouls; secondly, the league's refereeing is increasingly focused on Harden.
Let's look at some more data. Since leaving the Rockets, Harden's average scoring has been declining, once dropping to 16.6 points per game last season (averaging 22.1 points per game this season), but Harden's assist numbers have remained above 8. Specifically this season, Harden can shoot 23 times and get 11 free throws per 100 possessions, turning into 32 points and 12 assists! Harden's shooting percentages this season are only 39% + 34%, but Harden ranks first in the league in scoring from isolation plays, second in scoring from drawing fouls, and first in the percentage of being double-teamed! According to calculations by American media data websites, Harden has performed exceptionally well in 20% of his games this season, performed well in 57% of his games, and the proportion of games where he performed below expectations is only 10%!
Simply put, Harden has two signature moves: if you double-team me, I'll assist my teammates; if you don't double-team me, I'll execute isolation plays, breaking through to draw fouls, and three-pointers can also draw fouls. Although Harden's shooting efficiency doesn't look high, his overall performance is very stable, and he won't have too poor games, so he can defeat the Warriors three times, win the Nuggets twice, including victories over direct competitors like the Mavericks and Grizzlies. The league is indeed gradually respecting Harden, who can lead his team to achieve results. For example, in the game against the Pelicans, the referee called a foul on Murray's steal against Harden in the final moments, which would have been unimaginable a year or two ago. Including MVP nominations, weekly and monthly bests, and even the All-Star poster, Harden is in the center position.
Help yourself, and heaven will help you. Harden refused rest this season, refused to increase rest time, gritted his teeth and waited for Leonard to return, what does he want? But the problem is here! Harden averages 34.2 minutes per game this season, the highest in the Clippers, and the pressure he faces on both ends of the court this season may be the strongest in his career. Being double-teamed on offense is the norm, and on defense, due to Powell's presence, Harden often has to help defend against opponents' wings and participate in rim protection (second in rebounding in the team). Tyronn Lue previously said that he hopes Harden can stay healthy, but Harden has also rejected the team's suggestion to rest, and only had an eight-day break in early December. However, the Clippers have the second-hardest schedule in the league!
How long can Harden's body hold up? What if Leonard comes back and Harden falls like he did during his time with the Nets? At that time, Harden's hamstring injury, coupled with Irving's ankle sprain, caused the Nets to miss the championship, which indeed left many fans feeling unsatisfied. But even if Leonard returns, he won't exert himself in the regular season (he originally said the focus is on the playoffs). Ultimately, all the burden falls on Harden! With a salary of $35 million, Harden's contract may be the most valuable in the entire league, but if he continues to play like this, once Harden gets injured again and goes down, the Clippers will lose their lower limit, let alone the championship.
