Houston Rockets point guard James Harden has is swagger back this season, and he’s more than willing to tell us about. Harden spoke with Michael Lee of The Vertical and said in no uncertain terms that he thinks he’s the best player in the league.
Harden has long dominated the ball as a facilitating shooting guard, but D’Antoni ended speculation about what he truly is by stamping him with the label of full-time point guard. Now that Harden is setting up teammates better than anyone else and currently leads the league in assists, who is the league’s best player at his position?
“Best point guard or best player?” Harden responded when asked.
Either one.
“I am,” Harden told The Vertical.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting the best for yourself in this crazy world of ours, there are certainly some other stars that might beg to differ. Harden, however, feels working with first-year Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni has helped him take the next step as a dynamic playmaker.
“I thrive on scoring the basketball and creating shots for my teammates,” Harden, averaging 31.6 points, 12.7 assists and 7.1 rebounds, told The Vertical. “I go into every game doing what it takes to win, whether it’s assists, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, whatever it is. [D’Antoni] puts a lot of trust in me, and my teammates do as well.”
Harden finished second in NBA MVP voting for the 2014-15 season, but last year was the best statistical output of his career. If he keeps up his scoring pace, however, it would be tough to argue with his logic. Still, Harden says it’s all about finally winning an NBA title.
“I just want to win. I don’t really think about doing all that other stuff,” Harden said. “Being runner-up for MVP [in 2014-15] and having just a not-so-good last year, it was good for me. It was a growth year for me. I learned a lot of things and got better and just have a different mentality coming into this year.”
On Wednesday night, Harden and the 4-3 Rockets will have chance to prove they can match-up against the NBA’s elite as they face off against the Spurs in San Antonio at 9:30 ET on ESPN.
