James Harden is certainly one of the greatest players of his generation after winning an MVP, three scoring titles, and two assist titles.
In the eyes of some, he doesn’t quite get the respect he deserves and his former teammate Kevin Durant certainly believes that. When his good friend Eddie Gonzalez stated that he wants Harden’s influence to be recognized and appreciated, KD stated Harden is one of the most influential players ever.
“Fact. One of the most influential in the history of the game, it’s insane nobody sees it”
Fact. One of the most influential in the history of the game, it’s insane nobody sees it
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 20, 2023
Harden certainly isn’t quite as influential as the likes of Michael Jordan or Stephen Curry, but he certainly has made a mark on the league. He was really the one to popularize that step-back three-pointer, which we see countless times during games nowadays. In a bit negative sense, all the foul hunting we see in the game today might be attributed to Harden as well, but he certainly wasn’t the first to do that.
The biggest reason why Harden isn’t quite appreciated as other greats despite career averages of 24.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 7.0 APG, and 1.5 SPG is simply because of his failures in the postseason. There are very few stars in NBA history who have had as many meltdowns in the playoffs as Harden has had, and until he wins a championship, he isn’t going to get the respect he deserves.
Kevin Durant Praised Two Other Former Teammates Too
Harden wasn’t his only former teammate that Durant wanted to give some love to. He stated that Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook inspired a whole generation, but they don’t get the credit for it. You could certainly make the case that Irving and Westbrook have been quite inspirational to the next generation of players.
It is also perhaps fair to say that, like Harden, they don’t get the respect they deserve and there are various factors in play for that. What is clear, though, is that for all the talk of tension between Durant and his three former teammates, he has a lot of admiration and respect for them.
