Despite his monster start to the new season, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is by no means immune from all sort of criticism. One such fault that some folks consider to be something that cannot be ignored is the fact that the Rockets are relying too heavily on isolation plays for their All-Star guard.

Houston general manager Daryl Morey has clapped back at the critics, saying that it's not as if this particular style is something the Rockets created for Harden out of thin air.

“Nobody was mad when Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was getting it dozens of times per game,” Morey claims, via Kirk Goldberry of ESPN.

Morey does have a bit of a point here. But then again, the internet and social media were not yet in existence back in Abdul-Jabbar's time, thereby reducing the flock of criticism from all kinds of “experts” by a thousandfold.

Morey then went on to give a brief analysis on what he deems to be a misconception on isolation plays, particularly when it involves ball-heavy guards such as Harden.

“There's a long-held basketball perception that the guy who holds the ball initially shouldn't shoot,” he said. “Even when you play pickup, there's a rule that the guy who checks it in can't shoot.”

Love it or hate it, the fact of the matter is that this has worked wonders for Harden over the past few years, and perhaps even more so this season, with the former MVP currently averaging a career-high 38.9 points per ballgame on 24.1 attempts.