Unforgettable Threes: James Harden
James Harden has undeniable basketball expertise. He is still young and therefore this is unprecedented, but the expertise is there for sure. Right now, he is potentially right in the middle of one of the best individual NBA sprees of all time.
His recent games have drawn a lot of attention in his direction and his 29 footer against the Golden State Warriors was the cherry on top. This recent spur of incredible stats in terms of points per game and the kinds of threes he has been making has begun talk that Harden could go on to become one of the greatest players of all time. Harden is pushing the limits of the game.
#1 Number of unassisted threes
James Harden is a testament that elite shot production will not just garner but create attention. He has been able to create this attention at such a new level that he is now in a basketball class of his own.
Over this season especially, but ever since he has been in the NBA he has been shooting an unbelievable number of three-pointers. Considering the skill he has consistently shown, this is no longer surprising, however, what is surprising is the percentage of those shot without any assistance.
Only 14% of his three-pointers have been based on assists. Further what is mind-blowing is that these stats apply to his two-pointers as well. He lives up to his team name on the offensive side and nothing can slow him down.
Here are some more stats to prove the class that Harden has created this season. Harden has around 140 unassisted threes, and the number two shooter Steph Curry has close to 140 total threes.
He has averaged 16.4 points per game in isolation which puts him well above the total of the next three on the list. Harden seems to be able to easily capitalize on every opportunity that comes his way and is mastering the art of a relatively new concept in the NBA, shooting threes straight off the dribble.