James Harden’s game invites hyperbole.
That would be true even if he was merely decent at scoring.
“We all knew how great of a scorer he is,” Tobias Harris said Tuesday, “but his passing … he’s a really good passer, man. No-look passes; on time, on target; quick reads. His passing ability, I didn’t know he was that good of a passer.”
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In truth, one could accurately go quite a bit further than “really good” to classify Harden’s pick-and-roll passing. The video above focuses on that skill — or multitude of skills, really — which has helped the 10-time All-Star win his first two games as a Sixer while averaging 14 assists per contest.
Whether Harden’s passing in the pick-and-roll is “underrated” or not is obviously subjective. But he’s led the NBA in isolation possessions per game every season since 2015-16 (the first year NBA.com/Stats has play type data for), and his efficiency on that high volume has consistently been excellent. Just like Joel Embiid the last several years on post-ups, Harden in a season has regularly isolated more than many teams because he’s so brilliant at it.
So, if he’s been viewed as step-back shooting, solo scorer, that wouldn’t be unfair. His pick-and-roll tool bag is vast, though, especially in contrast to the Sixers’ ball handlers during Embiid’s career.
The snug pick-and-roll with Ben Simmons and Embiid looked intriguing on occasion, but traditional pick-and-rolls weren’t feasible because Simmons was much less threatening on the perimeter than a usual point guard and appropriately faced abnormal, dramatically sagging defenses. Markelle Fultz’s pull-up shooting also didn’t worry the opposition.
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Former Sixers head coach Brett Brown pointed to opponents not automatically going under screens on Shake Milton pick-and-rolls as a key factor heading into the team’s “bubble” run at Disney World. He started Milton, played Simmons more off the ball in half-court offense, and tried to shift the team’s offensive approach before the Australian’s season-ending left knee injury.
Unlike Simmons, Fultz, Milton, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, the always-developing Tyrese Maxey and any other Embiid-era pick-and-roll player, Harden is adept at advanced reads.
Yes, it’s more worthwhile for Embiid to roll hard because defenses have valid concern about Harden’s scoring and show him aggressive coverages that create openings. But Harden’s command of the entire floor is crucial, too. If a defender tags Embiid and momentarily leaves Maxey open in the corner, Harden will rifle the ball to the 21-year-old. If anyone loses attentiveness on the weak side, he’ll likely see that, too. Defenses know that clogging Embiid’s path to the paint isn’t sufficient anymore.
“He’s really good at finding ways the defense makes mistakes,” Harris said. “You’ve seen Matisse (Thybulle) get a bunch of cuts and lobs at the rim; Tyrese is getting out in transition; he’s hitting Joel in pick-and-rolls — all the way down the line of how he plays. The ball movement, that always helps us as a group.”
Harden’s passing creates possibilities for the Sixers well beyond Embiid. While defenders continue to send help off of Thybulle, his screening, rolling, cutting, and athleticism in transition now seem like traits that could be legitimate assets.
“James is a better passer than what we’ve had,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “Matisse is the roamer for us. And the more he gets it, the more free he will cut. Before, he would cut and not get it; that makes you not cut. And now he’s cutting and getting it. It’ll make him cut more.”
Georges Niang called Harden a “basketball savant.”
“He does such a good job of manipulating the defense,” Niang said. “When people think he’s dribbling between his legs, if you watch his eyes, he’s looking at the defender’s feet. How can I get his foot to drop? Or if you watch, he’s looking past the defender and looking to see if the big man is standing in the lane. And if he’s going to go cleanse to the other side, he’s going to drive the ball and make you make a decision. So, little things that people who aren’t really into basketball don’t notice. They’re like, ‘Ah, he’s just wasting dribbles.’
“But he’s just timing you up to use your strengths against you. It’s amazing that I get to see it every day because when we were playing against him, it was like, ‘Man, this is a pain in the ass.’ But when he’s doing that for you, it’s such a blessing. I was telling someone the other day, you have two of the best iso scorers in the NBA right now, but both of them are willing passers and draw so much attention. So I’m just excited to see the team build and move forward.”