Sky Sports' NBA analyst also gives his thoughts on Carmelo Anthony's NBA return with the Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday 19 November 2019 12:29, UK
Ovie Soko says James Harden's "unbelievable" talent will earn the Houston Rockets plenty of regular-season wins but will not bring them an NBA championship.
James Harden has come out of the gates hot and no one can say it is that much of a surprise. He is such a potent scorer and he is really turning some heads.
It's an interesting dynamic in Houston with Russell Westbrook there now too. He has been in and out through injuries and rest and it's clear the Rockets are better when Harden takes the lead role. Given how Harden's game has developed, it's necessary for him to have that free reign and not have to share the spotlight with anyone.
The Rockets will win many games because Harden is so talented but I can't see them winning championships. To me, the San Antonio Spurs have been a prime example of a team able to play championship basketball over the years. With Harden, the Rockets have a different dynamic. It's a culture thing.
The Rockets live and die with Harden. What happens if he doesn't score 35-40 points every night? Given the workload on NBA players, what if he goes down with an injury? What happens then?
It is special to watch Harden play and I think he will go down as one of the greatest scorers of all time. You don't stop him. It's not possible to stop someone who scores at that rate. You just try and make it as difficult and uncomfortable for him as possible. You can't let any of his team-mates, Houston's, fourth or fifth offensive options, to beat you by having a breakout night.
This is one of the reasons the Rockets haven't gone all the way in the playoffs. Opponents work that much harder to make all of Harden's shots tougher come the postseason.
Harden's ability to draw fouls is a divisive topic but getting to the free-throw line is a skill in itself. Whether people like it or not, it is part of the game. You see it in football too, guys looking for fouls and going down in the penalty box. It's a tactical thing. It's chess. He knows how to draw fouls extremely well, but that's not as big a factor in the playoffs where we know fouls are called very differently compared to how they are called in the regular season.
As a player one-on-one, no one can stop Harden, especially with the amount of space in the NBA for him to operate. Houston have set up their team to give him total freedom with shooters around him. That's their MO, they either get to the basket or they shoot threes.
I find myself in two minds with Harden. Of course, I respect his ability and his talent, it's unbelievable. Yet at the same time, if he has a greater hunger and drive to win back the MVP from Giannis Antetokounmpo than he has to win a championship, I just can't agree with that.
Basketball is a team game. Everyone standing around watching him go one-on-one every possession, even if he is scoring 40-plus-points a night, that's not what the game is.
Individual talent shines brightest at the end of the game. I've got no problem with a superstar scorer taking the last eight or 10 shots when the game is on the line. That's what an assassin does, they pick their spots.
But the whole game isn't 'The Harden Show', that's the Harlem Globetrotters! I'm not a fan of that. We enjoy basketball at its best when it's played as a team game, not one guy dribbling the air out of the ball.
I was a big Carmelo Anthony fan when I was coming up. Him being out of the league for this long is ridiculous. He is someone who played such a big part of that Kobe-LeBron era and his name will always be mentioned when people talk about that time. It's a shame he hasn't got his chance to come back sooner.
I'm very happy the Trail Blazers have given him a shot. It's a no-brainer when someone of that calibre can come in and help your team.
Portland failed in their recruitment last summer and it's going to be extremely important for them to have signed someone as experienced as Anthony who can come in and help them straight away.
I think we will see a different Melo in that he will be willing to accept any role he is given. That will take some pressure off him and allow him to grow back into the game, similar to what Dwight Howard has done in Los Angeles. He has taken that pressure off himself by saying 'I'm here to help and it's all about the team winning'. And he is having a really good season with the Lakers.
Melo will find ways to shake off any rust. He is a player with a hard-earned reputation as a man who puts the ball in the basket. The beautiful thing about him is that you can move him over from the three to the four-spot. He'll work as a stretch-four as long as they limit his minutes to allow him to grow back into it and gradually build back his confidence.
Being out of the league for an extended period of time can play on your mind but he is in shape and we'll see how he goes.
I hope we get to see a good Melo in Portland. It would have been a shame for a player of his ability to go out in the way it unfolded for him in Houston.
Read more from Ovie Soko throughout the season as part of Sky's best-ever NBA offering, which includes 134 live games and a record 48 games in weekend primetime slots.
