5 days Ago By Christian Alamodin, Hardwood Heroics
James Harden may not have been a compelling name to discuss regarding playoff basketball for years now, but it’s hard to deny how great he was during his prime as a star player. Long-time fans of the Thunder and the Rockets will attest to how great he was during his peak, and Clippers fans have him to thank for helping the team be competitive in the West. He defined how effective one man can be as a floor general in the modern NBA.
While he’s yet to win an NBA championship, the one-time MVP has already amassed an impressive enough resume to make a strong case for the Hall of Fame when he finally decides to hang them up. With the current Los Angeles Clippers roster looking unlikely to make another postseason run, it would make sense for the Beard to focus on building as solid of a legacy as possible. Making as close of a pursuit for Stephen Curry’s throne as the best three-point shooter the league has seen is a great choice for the guard.
James Harden beats Ray Allen on All-Time 3PT Shooters list with 3 long-range makes vs. Utah Jazz The Beard officially passed Ray Allen on the all-time three-pointers list with his three made 3FG attempts during the Clippers’ 105-116 victory over the Utah Jazz. In front of a jubilant Intuit Dome crowd, Harden finished with 20 points.
He added to his achievement with six boards, 11 dimes, two steals, and two blocks to accentuate an incredible performance. Harden was more than pleased with his accomplishment, as reported by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk : “Unbelievable accomplishment,” Harden said of the 3-pointer he hit with 6:09 left in the first quarter to move into second in league history. “Just a testament to the amount of work that I’ve been putting in.
As I get older and just chip away at an unbelievable career, [I] start to accomplish things like that. So I don’t ever want to take it for granted. “I just want to give motivation to the youth and every other person that’s chasing a dream to play professional basketball or whatever it is.
So it’s an honor.” Harden has always been one of the more prolific scorers in the NBA, making an average of 2.7 threes in his 16 years in the league.
While his efficiency dipped to start the season, he’s always scored at a respectable 36.3% from range this year. How will James Harden’s time with the Clippers play out? While it’s impressive that Harden has managed to reach such a career milestone, his goal is like many others in the league: to win an NBA championship.
While he’s still a terrific player, he’s nowhere near the athlete he once was during his peak years in Houston. With Kawhi still out for a couple more weeks, he and the Clippers have a tough task of winning as many games as they can to put themselves in a good position by the time their star forward returns. It will be an unpredictable season for the Clippers, but it’s good to see that Harden is still committed to helping the squad win.
This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission..
