James Harden is always adding new moves to his offensive arsenal. The shooting guard displayed one such innovative step-back three-pointer combo during the Clippers-Warriors contest on Saturday night. The unique move caught the attention of many NBA fans, including Patrick Beverley.
Advertisement
Therefore, Beverley decided to try it out for himself. The 36-year-old pulled off Harden’s move during the Hapoel Tel Aviv’s recent practice session.
Pat Bev posted a clip of the play on X. “Hey, Beard (Harden). I had to try this… Pass fake, one-legged… I seen you do it yesterday, I had to try it,” Beverley said.
Had to try it today https://t.co/AjZwMectQM pic.twitter.com/7XcFTuXhOs
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) October 6, 2024
However, Harden and Beverley’s moves weren’t identical. The former faked a pass before attempting a step-back three-pointer.
On the other hand, Beverley faked a dribble and shot a one-legged fadeaway from beyond the arc. Another key difference was that Beverley actually connected the long-range shot despite his dribble combo being slightly more complicated.
On the other hand, Harden’s attempt had resulted in an air-ball.
The one-legged step-back has also been a move that Harden has previously used. He first unveiled the unique shot in a preseason game during his stint with the Houston Rockets. Over the years, the Beard spent numerous hours at the gym trying to perfect the move.
Given that Beverley was part of the same Houston roster, he’s added multiple James Harden-inspired moves to his offensive bag.
Beverley claims that he taught Harden the step-back move
James Harden has revolutionized the step-back move, and is widely associated with the shot. However, Patrick Beverley once claimed to teach Harden his step-back move.
“There was a time when he wasn’t doing step-backs… We was playing ones and sh*t, my first two years in the NBA, and every move I did I finished with a step-back… ‘Aye, P why you always stepping back.’ I hit him up a year ago and he goes, ‘Yeah dawg, you were onto something,’” Beverley said on his podcast.
So @patbev21 is the one who taught James Harden the step back pic.twitter.com/lD8uNHHt53
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) March 8, 2024
Beverley’s story seems a bit far-fetched. During his first two years in the league, the 6ft 2” guard barely attempted shots from long-range. Whereas, Harden had established himself as one of the premier three-point shooters, recording 356 three-pointers between 2012-2014.
But in any case, there’s no denying that Beverley admires the Beard’s offensive arsenal.
