It is without question that James Harden is one of the best offensive players the league has ever witnessed. Numbers don't lie — this season alone, the 29-year-old is currently averaging an astounding 36.1 points on 44.2 percent shooting, along with 4.8 three-pointers, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per ballgame.
However, it is also a well-established fact that Harden is huge flopper. There's no sugarcoating this, regardless of how big a Harden fan you are. Some might even argue that his incessant tendency to flop dampens not only his overall game, but also — to an extent — ruins the beauty of the sport.
This unusual paradox then begs the question — is there a way to enjoy James Harden despite the flopping?
Flopping has become a league-wide epidemic. Especially when compared to how the game was played a decade or so ago, it seems that majority of players in the league can't take a hit anymore. The physicality of the game has been reduced to such that supporters of past generations have labelled this era as “soft.”
It's hard to argue with this notion whenever you see a 6-foot-8, 250-pound guy falter to the ground after what seems like minimal contact from an opponent.
Harden is certainly not the only player in the league to be known to bust out the occasional flop. However, at times, it seems that he is on a whole different level of flopping.
For proof, we need not look further than some of Harden's antics in the Rockets' first-round series matchup against the Utah Jazz.
Here's a clip from Game 2 in which Harden appears to almost run out of breath after taking “an elbow” to the neck from Jazz forward Joe Ingles.
After multiple viewings of the play in question, it appears that Ingles' elbow barely grazed Harden's neck on the play. Harden's reaction, however, was rather overstated.
Our friends at SportsCenter also shared a shot of Harden in what can only be described as agony. Either that, or he's just really good (or bad?) with facial expressions.
Jokes aside though, this is exactly why a lot of people hate on Harden. He does tend to overreact at times, which definitely gets on the nerve of more than a few spectators.
At the end of the day, I guess it just becomes a matter of perspective.
Harden fans will choose to focus on his unmatched ability to put the ball in the hole. Watching Harden's offensive prowess is definitely a thing of beauty. He is a maestro, and the game is his concerto.
However, for some, the obsession lies on the reigning MVP's flopping expertise. When you're as great as Harden is, nitpicking your game becomes a hobby for some folks. Unfortunately for him, this is such a glaring downside to his game, which makes it impossible for non-believers to make such a big deal out of it every time he does it.
What is clear, though, is that Harden is a once-in-a-generation talent. He may have a few bumps here and there, but it is undeniable that he stands out as one of the best players in the game today.
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