If a player averages 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game, I believe you will think he is a good championship puzzle. But if I told you that this is James Harden's stats this season, I believe that both his fans and black fans will be surprised. What is it that has caused Harden's form to decline so dramatically this season?
The time goes back to June 15, because the NBA ratings have been declining in recent years, and even the heat of the Finals has not returned. The league decided to enhance the enjoyment of the game, first of all, to rectify the "ballpark touching porcelain behavior". Not only can you not cheat on the penalty, but you may even get a technical foul from the referee!
So what does the league ban on touching porcelain have to do with my James Harden? Harden is known to be very good at using rules to win free throws. Since joining the league in 2009, he has averaged 9 free throws per game! In those 12 seasons, Harden averaged more than 10 free throws per game in 8 seasons, and a staggering 12 free throws per game in the 2019-20 season! Of the more than 400 players in the league that season, only 55 averaged more than 12 points per game! That is to say, Harden hits all the free throws in each game, surpassing 86% of the players in the league.
Because of the good use of rules, how to defend Harden has also become a major problem for all teams, so that there are famous scenes where defenders have to turn their hands back when facing defense. But even so, it still can't stop Harden from stepping on the free throw line. It is true that many players are miserable.
When the opposing player is afraid of the defensive end, then the defensive intensity will naturally be greatly reduced, which means that Harden has more offensive space to end the offense. When Harden feels cold, even if he shoots only 1 of 20, he can rely on his keen sense of free throws to score 20 or even 30 points again and again. And the free throws are also the key to Harden's transformation from a star player to a superstar.
So in this season's all-new version, Harden has completely lost himself. His average number of free throws per game is only a pitiful 3, and Harden, who has no free throws, has inexplicably lost his shooting bag, and his shooting and three-point shooting rate is only 36% and 33% so far. And Harden completely abandoned the long-range jumper, and he only made 8 shots outside the box within the three-point line, hitting 1 goal.
He was caught in a vicious circle of competition with himself, and he still tried to create physical contact to stand on the free throw line, but as a key person, the referee was naturally more harsh on him. For Harden, this was undoubtedly the coldest winter of his career.
More importantly, the Nets, which have a championship as a target, don't seem to have as much time to get Harden back in shape. Harden and Durant's 100-round offensive efficiency is only 95.6 when they are on the floor this season, compared to 130.5 last season. When Harden wasn't on the floor, the Nets had a net win of 5.9 points per 100 possessions this season, and when Harden was on the floor, that statistic became -11.7. Durant may also be quite critical of this, saying in an interview that he misses Owen very much. As a KD who has always been good at aligning with netizens and inheriting the glorious tradition of netizens' yin and yang weirdness, you said that he did not have any other thoughts, anyway, I do not believe it.
But the fans are very happy about this. According to a survey by the US media, only 14% of fans believe that Harden in the new season has received unfair treatment. In another survey, 87% of fans believed that the blow penalties for fewer fouls in the new season made the game more exciting. So you ask me what I think about Harden being weakened by epics? Hey, I have something in my heart, but I don't say it!