With just 12 games left, its safe now to confirm that the James Harden Point Beard Experiment was a success.
— RedNinetyFour (@RedNinetyFour) March 19, 2017
I wrote back in April of last year, and again in July, and had been discussing for some time on Twitter of the prospect of making James Harden the full-time point guard. It was one of those ideas regarding which almost everyone agreed made perfect sense but would just never happen. With just twelve games remaining in the NBA season, I can now safely confirm that The Point Beard Experiment was a complete success. Not only did James Harden prove capable of playing the position, he has spearheaded one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the league. It’s interesting now, in hindsight, to think back to the reasons given for skepticism over the positional change. Turnovers have still been a problem, but as Mike D’Antoni said early in the year, that’s an overhyped concern and not a reason to stifle creativity. My personal main worry was the physical toll of playing the position – as I wrote earlier, the demands of bringing the ball up court against pressure should not be underestimated. But as Mike D’Antoni said when discussing the change, moving Harden to point guard would mean he would no longer need to fight off the ball to receive it. Regardless of how much energy expenditure was offset, the season is coming to a close with no dip in production from Harden. He’s in peak MVP form with the playoffs right around the corner.
It’s exciting to consider that this is just the start. Still at just 27, Harden is likely to cut down on the turnovers as he learns the position and the system. His roll men, Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell, will get better with age, and he’ll get even more in sync with his shooters, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, with time. This is not even to mention the skill improvements Harden has made every year since joining the Rockets.
