James Harden is just smarter than everyone else

[Atlantis]

When I listen to James Harden answer questions post-game, I feel like I'm listening to a coach. His speech is just like his game, fluid and almost like poetry. It's not James Harden's body that makes him the man he is, it's his mind. I think Harden's IQ has to be above 120, maybe even above 130. It's not just basketball IQ it's raw academic intelligence that he has. I'm only barely above average in intelligence but I know when I'm listening to a smart guy vs a dumbass, and Harden's smart. That's why he gets to the line so much, because he can predict someone else's reaction before the other guy even knows what he's going to do. When you realize that Harden's intellectually gifted everything about his game makes sense, including his extraordinary passing ability, his ability to draw free throws, and his overall analytical and cerebral approach to the game.

James Harden is great because he's smarter than everyone else. That's his secret sauce.

[LoneyROY7]

High IQ thread.

[I'm Smart]

When I listen to James Harden answer questions post-game, I feel like I'm listening to a coach. His speech is just like his game, fluid and almost like poetry. It's not James Harden's body that makes him the man he is, it's his mind. I think Harden's IQ has to be above 120, maybe even above 130. It's not just basketball IQ it's raw academic intelligence that he has. I'm only barely above average in intelligence but I know when I'm listening to a smart guy vs a dumbass, and Harden's smart. That's why he gets to the line so much, because he can predict someone else's reaction before the other guy even knows what he's going to do. When you realize that Harden's intellectually gifted everything about his game makes sense, including his extraordinary passing ability, his ability to draw free throws, and his overall analytical and cerebral approach to the game.

James Harden is great because he's smarter than everyone else. That's his secret sauce.

Clearly he's smart.

But getting to the free throw line is more than that, he's also willfully sacrificing his integrity and violating the spirit of the game on a consistent basis.

[Mr. Woke]

Clearly he's smart.

But getting to the free throw line is more than that, he's also willfully sacrificing his integrity and violating the spirit of the game on a consistent basis.

Delusional comment.

Being able to draw fouls is a very valuable skill.

[999Guy]

I just wish this level of dickriding could come any time the last 3 years when the man carried a HIGHER offensive load on worse teams, BETTER than right now, while playing far better defense than he has for Brooklyn.


Actually consider the reality of this: You are watching a significantly worse version of James Harden than what existed his last two years in Houston. Imagine that. Think about what that means if true.

Harden is not as good offensively playing with a Magic/LeBron pace. But the guy was incomprehensibly(literally because he was pretty much ignored his last two years in Houston), deadly as a volume creator. He was doubled constantly for two straight seasons and did the damage he did. Spam doubled. In the modern NBA.


And again played his highest effort, most focused defense ever. Now he’s just chilling and coasting because he knows the value of going balls out like that in the RS in the long run both for accolades and team success(not much).

[Atlantis]

Clearly he's smart.

But getting to the free throw line is more than that, he's also willfully sacrificing his integrity and violating the spirit of the game on a consistent basis.

But what if it's not even by intention? What if Harden isn't trying to draw fouls any more than any other player but he's only processing what's going on and how his defender is going to react so much faster that the fouls just happen in the flow of the game? Looking at it from this perspective, he's not really trying to game the system - he's only reacting to opportunities as they present themselves in the flow of the game, and not refusing to get a free lunch when it's offered?

To say player X is more successful than player Y at some basketball metric means that player X is trying harder than player Y at that metric is clearly not the whole truth for three point shooting for example. Sure Steph probably works harder than the average NBA player at practicing shooting the three but much of his extraordinary shooting performance is due to factors that are beyond one's conscious control. What if Harden's free throw drawing ability is not too different from Steph's shooting in that there's just something biological that makes him able to do it better and he's not trying any harder than anyone else or gaming anything?

Then again I wasn't a Rockets fan so I only saw him play in playoff series and against the Lakers so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[Bronbron23]

When I listen to James Harden answer questions post-game, I feel like I'm listening to a coach. His speech is just like his game, fluid and almost like poetry. It's not James Harden's body that makes him the man he is, it's his mind. I think Harden's IQ has to be above 120, maybe even above 130. It's not just basketball IQ it's raw academic intelligence that he has. I'm only barely above average in intelligence but I know when I'm listening to a smart guy vs a dumbass, and Harden's smart. That's why he gets to the line so much, because he can predict someone else's reaction before the other guy even knows what he's going to do. When you realize that Harden's intellectually gifted everything about his game makes sense, including his extraordinary passing ability, his ability to draw free throws, and his overall analytical and cerebral approach to the game.

James Harden is great because he's smarter than everyone else. That's his secret sauce.

How many chips doea the smartest man in basketball have again?

[HylianNightmare]

Couldn't figure out how to beat the warriors in 19 do must not be that smart even with injuries

[SATAN]

How many chips doea the smartest man in basketball have again?

[SATAN]

If Harden was as tall and bulky as LeBron it would be pretty crazy. Like less bball IQ but still a really high bball IQ, amazingly good scorer that barely plays defense and flops and travels 10 times worse than what Jordan stans claim LeBron does. All while firing back shots at old school players.

Imagine ish. Jordan stans would be absolutely livid.

[light]

When I listen to James Harden answer questions post-game, I feel like I'm listening to a coach. His speech is just like his game, fluid and almost like poetry. It's not James Harden's body that makes him the man he is, it's his mind. I think Harden's IQ has to be above 120, maybe even above 130. It's not just basketball IQ it's raw academic intelligence that he has. I'm only barely above average in intelligence but I know when I'm listening to a smart guy vs a dumbass, and Harden's smart. That's why he gets to the line so much, because he can predict someone else's reaction before the other guy even knows what he's going to do. When you realize that Harden's intellectually gifted everything about his game makes sense, including his extraordinary passing ability, his ability to draw free throws, and his overall analytical and cerebral approach to the game.

James Harden is great because he's smarter than everyone else. That's his secret sauce.

I've never thought of Harden as unusually intelligent. He also isn't known for having a high basketball IQ. It's obviously higher than average (is it really?) but it's not celebrated.

For a long time Harden was definitely considered more on the low IQ side.

Harden's specific problem is that he doesn't know why he isn't winning and because of that he doesn't know what to address so he keeps having the same problems.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Harden > Jordan

I'm sensing this is becoming consensus amongst expert minded bball fans

[SATAN]

I've never thought of Harden as unusually intelligent. He also isn't known for having a high basketball IQ. It's obviously higher than average (is it really?)

Really??

Not a fan of his style for the most part be he's absolutely smarter than the average player.