Between 2017 and 2019, there were few sights scarier in the NBA than James Harden lacing up his boots ahead of a game. In his absolute prime, he was a force to be reckoned with. Playing for the Houston Rockets, he won the MVP in 2018, and would just walk onto the court and drop 40 every other day, barely breaking a sweat. Donatas Motiejunas knows that far too well.
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Teams tried hard to figure him and his game out, but in the end, nothing worked. Motiejunas, who played with Harden in Houston between 2012 and 2016, recently revealed that the Beard was always that good, and that he just took his game to another level for that two-year stretch.
Harden’s shiftiness and lethal control over the step-back three had teams resorting to the most unorthodox tactics to guard him. Motiejunas claimed that opposing coaches were happier to see Harden drive to the rim than take a contested three. The main reason was his ability to draw contact, which saw him average a whopping 10.1 free throws per game.
“You know, obviously, James Harden, he’s one of the best isolation players in the world, phenomenal moves. At his prime, he was shooting, I don’t know, 18-20 free throws a game, because no one could figure out how he was playing basketball, you know?” the Lithuanian said in a recent interview.
Motiejunas, who most recently played for Monaco in the Euro League, then brought up the infamous clip of Ricky Rubio guarding Harden from behind while discussing how differently coaches had to think to try to stop The Beard. The goal was simple. Don’t let Harden get to his spot for a step-back three, and don’t let him draw contact on those shots.
“We can see how Minnesota, Ricky Rubio, was playing defense against him, you know, trying to force him to penetrate, because his shot was so lethal, you know?” he continued. Teams were content if he went to the rim and faced stiff contact from a big man, as it could rattle him and perhaps make him reconsider driving to the basket.
Motiejunas’ praise for Harden didn’t stop there. He went on to call Harden “one of the most pure scorers” he had ever been around. That’s high praise, no matter who says it, and during those two years, most of the NBA would likely have agreed.
