It’s hard to say what expectations are on the court for a player making his debut after several weeks of trying to force himself out of an organization while partying openly in clubs during a pandemic, but it seems safe to declare that James Harden surpassed them at the opening of the Houston season. Rockets.
The Rockets star lost 44 points and 17 assists in his first game with the Rockets shorthanded against the Portland Trail Blazers. This included an alleged 3-point win score:
We said “aspiring to win the game” because CJ McCollum responded with a 3-point to give the Blazers a 128-126 victory. The game ended with a change from Harden, whose passage off the track was intercepted by former teammate Robert Covington.
In a game where both teams threw hay, perhaps the most shocking thing was how Harden looked like him.
The statistics line: 44 points. 17 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 turns in 43 minutes. That would not have been entirely out of place on Harden’s game record last year, or the year before. He hit 12 out of 22 shots and 6 out of 13 in the 3-point range, with his usual 16 trips to the free throw line.
The man barely seemed to have missed a step, and that’s good news for the Rockets, as they try to convince Harden that he can win in Houston, or squeeze out the last asset of a potential trading partner.
Of course, Harden’s performance may not be very surprising, considering that we recently discovered that Harden playing as if he hadn’t spent the last three nights at a club is nothing new.
From ESPN’s shocking story about how Harden effectively controlled Rocket culture:
“If they have several days off, everyone knows: James is going to fly somewhere and celebrate,” said a member of the coaching staff from last season. “But he will come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they are fine with that.”
Some people just work differently.
James Harden still wants to leave Houston
At the very least, Harden’s total assistance almost seemed like an attempt to refute those who criticized his conduct. Harden has made few friends since his exchange request, a period of time that saw him arrive at the Rockets’ training camp days late and enter a reported confrontation that included throwing a basketball at a newbie.
Harden was fined $ 50,000 after a video of him appeared in a club without a mask. He would also have missed the Rockets’ season opener, costing him six figures, had he not been delayed due to an unrelated COVID-19 outbreak on the team.
The Rockets can at least be excited that Harden still keeps his promise when he is really on the court, as it is in his interest to remain effective while looking for a switch to a contender.
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