Who is the player who has scored the most 50 points in a single game?
It's James Harden!
Up to now, Harden's career has won 23 50+ times, the most active, more than Curry and James combined.
The three-game scoring champion, averaging 36.1 points per game, jordan's highest score after that, is harden's scoring feast for us in those years. However, this season, Harden encountered Waterloo, averaging only 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists per game, although this data is still the data of the league's superstars, but this score is placed on Harden's body, it seems a bit abrupt, today we will talk about, what happened to Harden, can he return to the MVP level?
Let's start with what happened to Harden.
Some friends say that it is a rule restriction, in fact, it is not, Harden averaged 7.5 free throws per game this season, 7.3 times last season, which shows that Harden scored low, not subject to the impact of free throws, before the Nets against the Pistons, Harden's total number of free throws ranked first in the league!
So why did Harden's score slip from 24.6 last season to 20.8? This stems from his own competitive state, Harden this year is the same as Paul's second year in the Rockets, exactly the same, no breakthrough, no pedaling on the feet.
How did Harden break through in the past?
Rely on the crotch dribble to find the rhythm, and then the first step to the ground to force the person, and finally kill to the end of the basket. What about Harden now? He can still kill under the basket, but he can't finish after killing the basket.
Friends who have watched the game can clearly feel that Harden's feet are soft, this does not need to be able to understand the ball, you take the current he and the previous comparison, you can see the gap.
Second, there is the lineup factor.
Let's recall, how harden played in the past?
Outside the three-point line, the top of the arc holds the ball, one of the two bottom corners on the left and right, a blue-collar center standing in the penalty area under the basket, and a 45-degree angle on the side of the arc, with a second catch point.
Harden plays in this system, relying on his own strong offensive threat, the players who first lead Harden outside will be diverted by harden's three threats of luck, shooting, and passing, you defend Harden if you are not careful, you will be directly passed by him, Harden is different from those small guards who flash around, his strength is stronger than the center, once he really goes in, not Gobert's kind of interior, you really can't hold him.
Inside the three-point line, tactics are maximized.
Harden can pass to the left and right bottom corners, or he can turn around and pass to the person who travels 45 degrees at the top of the arc.
None of this works, it doesn't matter, he can choose to throw, you can't block him under the basket center, he will take the dunk under the basket empty, and if he doesn't come up, he will throw the shot.
This is the most common way to play at the peak of Harden.
What about the Nets players now?
When Harden led the team, it was still the same system I just talked about, and the 45-degree angle was Javin Carter, a player who shot 27.6% of the way. The two bottom corners on the left and right, Bembry, Bruce Brown, Millsap, James Johnson, these four big brothers stand in the bottom corner without any threat.
Under the basket was Aldridge, a center who couldn't jump up.
Under this lineup, opponents can unscrupulously defend Harden, coupled with the weakening of the league's protection for offense this season, the opponent is too large, which has led to Harden's inefficiency performance today.
So is Harden still a chance?
There is still some, if Irving returns, Carter is DNP, plus Joe Ha returns, then at 45 degrees to receive Irving, the bottom corner is standing Joe Ha, he still can't throw out the air connection, but the defensive pressure on his wings and the back side has dropped sharply, and Harden will play more comfortably at that time.
We hope Harden can find the status.