James Harden, Who Often Got Criticized For Ball Hogging, Gets Told His Passing Completely Changed A Former Rockets Star’s Career

James Harden has received some bad attention in recent times for his way of changing teams. The Philly star did this with both the Rockets and the Brooklyn Nets to get to his desired destination. However, that has taken the attention away from him being a great teammate. The former MVP has made every team better and the Sixers have started off on the right track. While the Beard earned a reputation as a solo player in Houston, a former Rockets man said he was a great teammate.

Over the past years, James Harden has been one of the leading passers in the NBA. However, with the Rockets, he made history with his scoring stretches. He was the target man in Houston and often got buckets through isolation players. However, even while putting up over 25 points per game, he was making everyone around him better.

In a recent interview, Harden’s former teammate Chandler Parsons broke done just how great a teammate James Harden was in Houston.

The true value of James Harden

While in conversation with Colin Cowherd, Parsons spoke about his time in Houston with James Harden. He spoke about how he had one of his best years simply because of the attention Harden drew from the defenders. Moreover, he also called the Beard unselfish for being a willing passer.

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Parsons said: “I played for James for 2 years in Houston. I had my best year ever with him, I averaged close to 18 points per game with him and that as strictly off the attention that he got.” He continued saying, “But for him, I think he is very unselfish. I think he kind of gets a bad rep just because of all the forcing trades and all this. But like you said, he is a very willing passer. An unbelievable scorer, probably one of the best iso scorers of all time. And you need that. Game on the line you need someone like James Harden to go get you a bucket, to get to the foul line. And he does that at an elite level. Personally, dude’s a great guy, great teammate.”

Parsons went on to average over 15 points in 2 seasons with James Harden. It was the most points he ever averaged in his 9 year NBA career. And that was only the start for Harden.

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Despite being the primary scorer most of his career, Harden has constantly improved his passing. Each year, the Beard has put up more assists to improve his teammates. Over the past two seasons, he is averaging over 10 assists and has proved he can take a step back. Playing alongside Durant, Harden took a scoring sacrifice and became the team general for the Nets. And he is doing no different playing with Joel Embiid.

Evolution of the Beard

While he had a couple of years of being a sole scorer, the Rockets didn’t have others around him. But when he is around the right players, Harden is one of the best teammates to have. Now, he is doing the same with Philly and Joel Embiid, dishing out 12 assists and scoring 27 points efficiently in 3 games.

The Beard is yet to lose a game in a Sixers uniform as his partnership with Embiid grows dangerous with every game. With the 76ers making the final push, there is no doubt Harden will look to get playoff ready looking for his first ring. And with Philadelphia as the top dogs now, the path couldn’t be any better for Harden.