It’s easy to get caught up in James Harden’s day to day brilliance. But one thing that does not garner enough attention is his remarkable durability. As they say, ‘availability is among the best of talents.’ (Wait, has anyone ever said that?) This season, Harden has appeared in 70 of Houston’s 70 games, averaging 36.5 minutes per contest. In fact, in the last three years, Harden has only missed one game. He played in 81 games in 2014-2015, and 82 games in 2015-2016. In Harden’s first year with the team, he missed five games, and then nine in his second year. During the win-streak tribute, I was reminded of the tragic nature of Tracy McGrady’s stint with the team. By age 27, T-Mac’s skills were already eroding and his fall from superstar status had already begun. Meanwhile, James Harden appears to be improving with age. So far, we have been fortunate this time around.
