Similar to other veteran guards with lightning-quick hands, James Harden is a deflection machine. He utilizes the IQ gifted to him, much of which was developed during his years growing up and at Arizona State, to time the perfect moment to dislodge the ball from the offensive player's hands.
For most guards, it is seen as a risk, as even a split second can go unaccounted for, allowing the offensive player to walk freely into the lane or tally an easy assist. However, Harden's experience has given him the rare instinct to know when the right time is to roll the dice safely.
Regarding defense as a whole, Harden is below average, and sometimes does not show enough effort and hustle to stay in front of his defender relentlessly. He has been seen to fall behind the first step of the opposing player, resulting in a complete defensive breakdown.
Furthermore, head coach Tyronn Lue did a magnificent job last season, with assistance from Jeff Van Gundy, who helped cover Harden's flaws by playing him alongside top-of-the-line defenders such as Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac.
Additionally, communication was always present, so even when Harden found himself backed up, rotations were made, giving the former MVP enough time to keep himself in action and recover.
However, next season, a different presentation could be revealed, as Harden will be sharing the court with John Collins, who has shown weaknesses in defending the paint during his time on the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz rosters.
James Harden and John Collins will likely produce together offensively, but on defense, the LA Clippers will likely lose significant minutes
Watching James Harden launch the most improbable alley-oops to John Collins, and him succeeding with an emphatic dunk or poster, will be the perfect display of why the LA Clippers gave up Norman Powell for his capabilities.
Conversely, most players are not perfect, and Collins has weaknesses that are evident on defense. Effort is sometimes the issue, but in other situations, it is the size or gap in interior tenacity.
Thus, Collins sharing the floor with James Harden is inevitable, but it should be held to the bare minimum by Tyronn Lue. This is where Nicolas Batum will still be crucial, as he is another defender who can help fill in the gaps that The Beard does not cover on the perimeter.