NBA legend and former Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale has seen the best and worst of James Harden, and it seems the latter was a far more common occurrence during the time he coached him and in the many years after.
James Harden has become one of the biggest talking points in NBA circles currently. The 10-time All-Star has put himself and the Philadelphia 76ers in an awkward position by opting into the final year of his contract this summer and then requesting a trade from the team.
Related: Philadelphia 76ers end James Harden trade discussions in surprise development
However, things have only gotten uglier after reports over the weekend claimed the 76ers ended trade discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers — the team Harden prefers to go to.
The future Hall-of-Famer then escalated things on Monday when he publicly called general manager Daryl Morey “a liar” and said he would never put on a 76ers uniform ever again.
Former head coach blasts years-long lack of winning effort from James Harden
The situation has put a new spotlight on Harden’s career and his penchant for finding his way out of situations he is on happy with. During a recent interview, his one-time head coach in Houston, Kevin McHale, was asked why Harden can’t seem to stick around with one team and win a title. In his response, the Boston Celtics great took some major shots at the legendary guard for lacking the necessary effort to win during his time with the Rockets and other teams.
- James Harden stats (’22-’23): 21.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 39% 3PT
“There’s a big difference between winning and putting up numbers. Averaging 20 a game is not hard if you shoot enough. What’s hard, and what James never did well but did when he first came from [the Oklahoma City Thunder], he came off down screens, he ran the wing. … A lot of the little things was not demanded that James do after a while. I was like, ‘Man, that only lasts so long.’ And you’re not going to win if you don’t do the little things.
“Like, if you’re not a player that can go out and get defensive stops then you better be a great team defender. Larry Bird wasn’t a great individual defender but he was a great team defender and he was always in the right spot always willing to make the plays. James can do it, he just didn’t want to. This is only going to last so long when you’re top guy just isn’t willing to do the dirt work it takes to win not just NBA games during the season, but what it takes to win championships.”
– Kevin McHale on SiriusXM NBA Radio
McHale also mentioned that James Harden’s lack of effort also came under Daryl Morey’s watch when he was the GM of the Rockets and setting that kind of standard came back to “bite him” after again trading for him, but this time with the Philadelphia 76ers.