James Harden gets the recognition he deserves, but only when it comes to being hailed as one of the greatest scorers ever. He is often not seen as someone with a good work ethic. On The Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst argued that this kind of narrative has only gained traction due to some of Harden’s off-court activities in the past.
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Windhorst believes that Harden is one of the hardest-working athletes in the league, but his reputation is marred by negative public perception. The Beard is known to enjoy himself at parties and was infamous for his night-club stints in Houston. He also likes to wear “strange outfits” when he’s walking the red carpet in many fashion events.
People often look at these examples and build a perception about the 10-time All-Star being a ‘Diva’ on the court. But Windhorst clarified, “Obviously James enjoys himself off the court, but…he is a worker…He sometimes wears really strange outfits…but he’s a worker. He’s in the gym too.”
Harden’s Clippers teammate, Norman Powell, who was a guest on the show, also attested Windy’s claims.
He said, “He gets his work in. That’s what I appreciate. Even when he first came last year after the trade…I seen him running the stadiums because I’m in there in the morning too.”
Powell added that Harden also works a lot on his conditioning and is an overall dedicated athlete who understands what it takes to stay in shape. “He’s in there getting his workout and even after his workout, he’s doing conditioning, running the stairs and things like that, just to get his body in shape and ready to play.”
What some people fail to realize is that if Harden didn’t do all of this, he wouldn’t be able to sustain himself as one of the best in the league for over a decade.
Over the last few years, he has also become a veteran leader for his younger teammates.
Norman Powell on James Harden training with the youngsters
During an appearance on The Draymond Green Show, Powell heaped praise on Harden for his lesser-known quality. He talked to the Warriors veteran about Harden being a responsible mentor to the youngsters in the team. Powell stated that during the summer, he worked out with the youngsters of the team to build chemistry.
Powell said, “During the summer he was working out with the young guys. We’re doing the beep test, conditioning, running up and down the floor after their individual workouts and he’s right there with them.” The Clippers star believes that this motivates the youngsters to look at the practice drills differently.
He added, “I think that builds the trust and the chemistry like, ‘If James is in here I should be too.’” As a seasoned veteran, it’d be very easy for Harden to step away from it or not get involved with the youngsters, but he knows the value his presence creates.
