James Harden is having himself an MVP season. He has played all 74 games this season and made his stance on the recent spike in players taking nights off for Rest. Harden injured his wrist on March 18th and in his game Tuesday night against the Warriors, it seemed to bother him, as he went 5-20 shooting, his third worst shooting performance of the season. With their playoff seeding almost a lock, many people are suggesting that Harden should rest the last few games in order for him to be healthy for the playoffs. Harden shot those suggestions down quickly, as he said he won't rest even if he has a Wrist Injury.
MVPs don't rest
James Harden is in a race for MVP, and unlike the previous years' candidates, he doesn't mind speaking on it. He believes that the amount of games played does matter in MVP voting. This might sound somewhat selfish to some, but it's good that he isn't acting oblivious to the whole thing. He knows he can win MVP, and he wants to give the voters no room to think about giving it to someone else. His teammates see him playing every game no matter what and they appreciate it. Rockets guard Patrick Beverly spoke on Harden's consistency, saying "He takes care of his body and does all the right things. To see our leader play through pain like that, sacrifice his body like that, that means a lot for this team," per ESPN.
Harden could rest if he really wanted to. He has led his Rockets to a three seed in the Western Conference, leading the NBA in assists per game, and is almost averaging a triple-double. But Harden believes he is paid to play all 82 games (which he is), and he doesn't want to leave his teammates hanging. Harden is earning a lot of respect in the sports world for his comments on resting, and this just might win him the MVP award.
Flick of the wrist
Harden will play through his wrist injury, but that doesn't mean he will play well. He managed to get a triple-double against the Warriors Tuesday night, but shot the ball poorly. Harden admits it's tough playing with his wrist injury, saying "It's pretty tough, man, I'm not going to lie. I don't feel sorry for myself at all, but the shot is short and frustrating when you really can't follow through and whatnot." This according to ESPN.
Coach Mike D'Antoni agreed, saying "I think [the wrist] bothered him a little bit," per ESPN.
Harden knows it will be tough playing through an injury that affects his shot, but he seems ready for the challenge. When asked if he would rest or lower his minutes, he simply replied "Nah Nah." James Harden will just focus on the good ole R.I.C.E method for his injury, saying "Ice, treatment, be ready to go. (ESPN). Harden doesn't think rest is necessary, but he might want to scale back his cooking the pot celebration, as that requires a lot of wrist work.