VIDEO: James Harden's New Move is Probably Barely Ever Going to Work
By Kevin Aquino
Congratulations, James Harden, you pulled off your new move against the Shanghai Sharks, but good luck in making it effective in an NBA game that actually counts. The 2018 league MVP has previewed his new bag of tricks over the summer, but with guys like Kawhi Leonard or Paul George going at him full-force, it's hard to believe this one-legged three-pointer will work in the long run.
James Harden promised he’d be debuting a new move this season and here it is...a running one-legged what the. this needs a name immediately. pic.twitter.com/O1BLxftDtd
— Damian Wobbard (@WorldWideWob) October 1, 2019
The Rockets superstar didn't even make the shot, but people are still raving about his innovativeness. Awkward, herky-jerky movements are what The Beard is all about, but why not just create more space by side-stepping the defender? The refs don't call travels anyway.
James Harden doesn’t understand the talk about his step-back being a travel. pic.twitter.com/9bWfOuvb0S
— ESPN (@espn) September 30, 2019
The unexpected nature of Harden launching a shot off his left foot while going right may leave defenders dumbfounded at first, but it's likely a low percentage shot that won't fall if there's a semblance of solid coverage. Harden would be better off doing this and continuing to get away with it.
With Russell Westbrook as Harden's running mate once more, Houston renewed their championship chances after falling to the Warriors against last year, but it's hard to imagine this one move revolutionizing Harden's already-dominant game.