“James Harden Before James Harden”: 2020 Draft Prospect Cassius Stanley Hails Ex-Wizards Star

Rockets star James Harden has been lighting up the NBA for quite a few years now. His dazzling dribbles and powerful finishing ability have earned him a massive reputation among fans. But have you ever wondered if there was a similar player to Harden before he broke through in the league? 

Harden’s flashy stepbacks and his shooting skills made him the player he is today. Watching him is always a visual treat, and it is even better when he gets going on a scoring run. However, 2020 Draft prospect Cassius Stanley says Gilbert Arenas was James Harden before ‘The Beard’ himself!

Stanley and Arenas got together for a chat with Fubo Sports, where the former sung the praise of the ex-Wizards star. “When you play basketball in the Valley and in L.A,  you just always see Gilbert Arenas. It’s like wherever you go and me growing up like Gilbert Arenas is that guy,” mentioned Stanley. 

Stanley thinks kids these days get rattled when they watch Harden pull off his moves. He contradicted their views and stated that Arenas brought that to the league way before Harden did. 

“I tell people all the time. Like man, Gilbert Arenas was James Harden before James Harden. He was our guy who just gets a bucket, a prolific scorer like that’s my generation I don’t know if everyone else says that,” Stanley said. 

It is clear that Cassius Stanley holds immense admiration for Gilbert Arenas. Likewise, Arenas too had a lot to say about the Duke prospect as he had watched him excel in high-school. Do you agree with Stanley that Arenas bought the Harden moves to the league before it became viral? 

Also Read: NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks Ready to Take Bold Steps to Acquire Russell Westbrook

James Harden finds himself in the thick of media attention 

There were a lot of questions about Harden’s future after the 2020 playoffs. The Rockets weren’t convincing enough in the postseason and lost out to the Lakers in five games. There were a lot of speculations around Westbrook moving away from Houston, and to add to it, Harden too, is expected to be traded out. 

In a sensational turn of events, it was reported that James Harden is not committed to his future at Houston Rockets and might join a team in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets have emerged as the mighty contenders to sign the 3x scoring champion through a variety of trade packages. 

Adrian Wojnarowski too opened up about the matter on Twitter and mentioned that the Nets are indeed strong contenders if Harden decides to play for another team. If it happens, Brooklyn will undoubtedly be the major title contenders in 2021. 

Will James Harden move away from the Rockets and join the Nets in the offseason? He’s been in Houston for eight seasons, carrying the responsibility of being the franchise player. But is it finally time to move away and reunite with Kevin Durant? 

Also Read: Pelicans’ Josh Hart Confident James Harden Would Make Brooklyn Nets NBA Champions Next Season