James Harden handled the bulk of the Houston Rockets’ offense as soon as he joined the franchise via a trade in 2012. It wasn’t until 2016 that Mike D’Antoni officially made him the starting point guard, which meant the ball was already in The Beard’s hands from the get-go.
Explaining the reason behind the change, MDA said the whole idea was to simply cut the middleman.
Advertisement
“Normally, they would just bring it up, move it two times, then give it to him, then let him [initiate the offense]. And after he’s struggled to get the ball or had to wrestle to get the ball,” D’Antoni said, per Jarde Dubin of FanSided. “We’re just trying to make it easier for him. Why camouflage it? You know that’s where it’s going. You know he has to make plays. So why not do it?”
“And it gives him a sense, also, of purpose for the team that he understands: to get everybody involved to a certain degree without losing his identity,” added D’Antoni.
Harden put up video game numbers
Mike’s rationale made perfect sense. Instead of wasting precious seconds off the clock trying to get the ball to the Rockets‘ best player, why not use those tics to let him set the table instead?
Advertisement
As soon as this new wrinkle was implemented, James’ numbers went from being MVP caliber to straight-up mind-blowing. He dished out at least 15 assists in five of the Rockets’ first eight games, including a career-high 17 dimes in the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
During that span, Harden reached the 30-point plateau five times, featuring a 41-point output in a 120-128 loss to the defending champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Amazingly, James never attempted more than 20 shots in any of those games, a remarkable display of craftiness and efficiency!
“The good thing about him is he sees the game as a point guard. He understands where he wants players, and he does a terrific job. His efficiency is — sometimes, as a coach, you look and go, ‘Man, maybe I should come up with some novel idea instead of just letting him go down the middle every time.’ And then his numbers are off the charts,” stated D’Antoni.
Advertisement
The biggest validation that the point guard switch was successful is that Harden put up eye-popping numbers all season. He achieved his highest-scoring average up until that point in his career (29.1) while leading the league in several categories: free-throw makes and attempts per game (9.2 makes on 10.9 attempts) and assists (11.2).
Harden was Jordanesque?
Harden’s positional switch in 2016-17 was reminiscent of what Michael Jordan did for the Chicago Bulls during the 1988-89 season. MJ played point guard for the team’s final 24 games, averaging 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.5 steals. He notched 10 triple-doubles in an 11-game stretch, including seven consecutive at one point.
Advertisement
While Jordan’s numbers were absolutely bonkers, the results left a lot to be desired. The early returns were promising, but the Bulls dropped eight of their last 10 games with MJ as their primary distributor. Meanwhile, the 2016-17 Rockets saw a 14-game improvement compared with the prior season.
The difference, of course, was that Harden truly had the instincts of a point guard. His timing and ability to manipulate defenses made the transition natural. Jordan, on the other hand, was wired to score first, making his short stint at the point more experimental than anything else.
Mike’s initiative to move James over at the “1” was a formality that unlocked the best version of his game. The Beard continued to switch seamlessly from either backcourt position depending on who he shared the floor with, but his command of the offense never wavered. Unlike Jordan’s short-lived trial run, Harden never looked back once the ball was fully in his hands.
Advertisement
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.