3 Reasons Why James Harden is a Leader

3) Point Guard Play:

• Harden has come under criticism for not being a good leader and these Kevin McHale comments are unwarranted. Sure, Harden isn’t the top leader in the league but he has done a solid job leading the Rockets,particularly last year at the point guard position. It was a position that he flourished in, leading the league in assists last year. Harden ran the show in Houston well, they eventually fizzled out in the postseason but only to a really good San Antonio squad.

2) Rockets Record:

• Rockets had a great year in terms of improvement from the year before, finishing third in the mighty Western Conference. This should be seen as a nice feat because they missed the playoffs the year before. Again, it is all because of Harden’s leadership at the toughest position in basketball. He didn’t just exist at the position he ran the team well and was still able to find his own offense--averaging 29 ppg last season.

1) MVP Runner-Up:

• This is a player that has been close to winning the MVP award twice in the last couple seasons. Hard to say that a potential MVP, year in and year out, isn’t a good leader on the court. Again, Mchale's criticism seems harsh when you analyze Harden’s full body of work. He led the league in assists, he is competed for the scoring title, and earned MVP votes. What else can you ask of the guy? Sure his defense could use work but he is playing lights out in almost every other category.