76ers James Harden embracing the midrange an approach that should yield significant results if it continues
76ers' James Harden embracing the midrange, an approach that should yield significant results if it continues - CBSSports.com site: media arena: nba pageType: stories section: slug: 76ers-james-harden-embracing-the-midrange-an-approach-that-should-yield-significant-results-if-it-continues sport: basketball route: article_single.us 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories CBSSports.com 247Sports MaxPreps SportsLine Shop Play Golf Stubhub Caesars Sportsbook CBS Sports Home Sports HQ Fantasy NFL NCAA FB MLB Soccer NBA Golf NHL NCAA BB NCAA WBB Champions League MMA WWE Boxing NASCAR Motor Sports USFL NWSL WNBA Horse Racing Olympics Big3 Tennis High School WSOP Shop Promotions PBR 3Ice Stubhub Play Golf Play
He made 21 midrange jumpers all year last year! pic.twitter.com/0BLS1TkvMB— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) October 21, 2022 Harden appears to have a good chunk of his quickness back, but he's still not completely blowing by defenders and he's not going to have the same vertical pop to finish and/or draw fouls at the rim. Operating in this intermediate space, a soft spot against dropping defenders, is a natural release valve and should yield significant returns should Harden stay on this path.
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Harden made eight shots between 10-19 feet on Thursday
By Brad Botkin Oct 21, 2022 at 12:51 pm ET • 1 min read Getty Images The bad news for the Philadelphia 76ers after two games is they're winless after falling 90-88 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. The good news is James Harden has been fantastic, and at this early juncture that's a far more important development. You might say Harden has looked different than last season, and that's quite literal. He looks different. Noticeably trimmer. Also, at least in Thursday's loss to Milwaukee, he was different, looking positively Kevin Durant-ish in the midrange, the analytically maligned area of the floor he has traditionally ignored. Over 65 games with the Nets and Sixers last season, Harden made just 13 shots between 15-19 feet, per NBA.com shot tracking. During his last full season with the Rockets, 2019-20, he made just eight. On Thursday alone, Harden made five jumpers from this range. Add in three more makes from 10-14 feet, where his once-deadly but recently largely abandoned floater was on point, and Harden converted on eight midrange shots against the Bucks. Last season, he never made more than three in a single game, and he only made more than one twice. Through two games, Harden is 12 for 16 from all midrange spots, per Cleaning the Glass. After Thursday's loss, when asked about his midrange uptick, he said he was just taking what the Bucks' defense was giving him, but defenses have been trying to give him that shot for years. He just refused to take it. Now, look at the variety in this shot chart: James Harden obviously has looked great in these first two games, but man, look at the variety in his shot selection!He made 21 midrange jumpers all year last year! pic.twitter.com/0BLS1TkvMB— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) October 21, 2022 Harden appears to have a good chunk of his quickness back, but he's still not completely blowing by defenders and he's not going to have the same vertical pop to finish and/or draw fouls at the rim. Operating in this intermediate space, a soft spot against dropping defenders, is a natural release valve and should yield significant returns should Harden stay on this path.