Despite turning things around after his trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden continues to be on the receiving end of criticism. This time it came from none other than his former teammate. Chandler Parsons, who played with Harden for two seasons, from 2012 to 2014, isn’t a fan of his approach towards media. During the Fan Duel-powered ‘Run It Back’ pod, Dirk Nowitzki’s former teammate ripped into the Beard for avoiding reporters after losses.
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After a 107-121 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, the lefty guard, who had 14 assists but shot 0/6 from the three-point line, didn’t entertain the media. Upon learning about this action, Parsons wasn’t pleased with his former teammate. For Parsons, if Harden had talked to the media and taken ownership of the loss, he’d have avoided the negative attention.
“I don’t know why guys continue to do this. It’s such a bad look. It’s no story if you talk and you own up to it. Say you had an off night or whatever. Wish you’d have played better,” Chandler Parsons expressed on the podcast.
After that, the forward urged the 2018 MVP to shoot more often. He wasn’t impressed by Harden taking just 13 shots. For the season, the Beard is attempting 11.6 shots, which is his lowest ever since he left OKC after the 2011-12 season.
“I wish he’d be more aggressive, taking 13 shots, 12 points. I wish he had games and these flashes where he goes back to kinda that Houston James Harden”, Parsons hoped.
The former Rockets Wing re-iterated that ducking the media is “never a good idea”. For him, there is no point in avoiding interviews because the subject will be brought up eventually. After all, he can’t dodge reporters “forever”. At any rate, this is not the first time that the top-notch dime dealer has been in the news for bizarre reasons.
James Harden has drawn a ton of criticism
On March 20, during the 116-103 win against the Trail Blazers, James Harden tried to block his teammate Kawhi Leonard. In an inexplicable moment, he dished the ball to Leonard and then acted as a perimeter cover against him. Both analysts and fans didn’t spare the Beard for his eye-rolling reactions.
Paul Pierce mocked him by stating that it is the “best defense” he has played in a while. Social media was flooded with hilarious reactions and a fan thought that the former Rockets guard was “trying to be too cute”.
After the win against Trail Blazers, he was asked about his awkward contest. In his defense, Harden stated that he wanted to infuse his teammates with “excitement”. He claimed to lighten things up since March has been a rather tedious month for the Clippers.
However, as of now, the Clippers’ worries are growing with each day. The loss against the Embiid-less 76ers sums up how they have played recently. Perhaps, a bit more aggression from Harden as suggested by Parsons can help lift them.
