If you’re familiar with the eleven minute “highlight” reel of James Harden not playing defense, you probably think I’m kidding with that headline. But I’m not. The Houston Rockets are one of the stingiest defensive squads in the NBA, and currently rank second in points per 100 possessions (96.5). A big reason for their defensive success is Harden’s improvement on that end. His individual defensive rating is 96.7, meaning he’s not the total liability that previous highlight reels would imply. Thankfully, someone has edited together a ten minute reel of actual defensive highlights to showcase Harden’s effort.
[SBNation]
