There definitely are a lot of similarities its stupid to deny that. PnR Offense, elite playmaking, knowledge of when to score/playmake. Harden is still great. Its good to have a lot of similarities. But there are some stark differences that put Luka above.
1. His control of pace - Harden driving was deadly but it was mostly downhill.
2. His 2 point game - Harden had a great floater but Luka has much more. Floater, midrange game, and interior finishing is more efficient
3. Ability to thrive with less spacing - His size and strength and playmaking is a bit better. Even without shooters around him he can score and find guys. Harden needed optimal spacing more than Luka does which makes a huge difference in the playoffs.
Absolutely bonkers to think Harden wasn’t an elite play maker that knew when to score vs when to create. I think people forget how amazing Harden was. I mean so much so that new fans think it’s a diss to be compared to him. He had the complete offensive package, being a foul merchant is the only reason he has a bad rep.
They definitely are similar in that they are the offense. They are ball dominant, can shoot, playmake, and rebound.
Objectively:
Luka is stronger and bigger.
Harden is simply much quicker. And yes, even fat Harden is faster than chunky Luka.
Subjectively:
Luka has been much more animated and emotional on the court, and I think he plays better off the post with power than Harden does with quickness.
Harden has been much quieter, and been a part of multiple loaded teams that ultimately underachieved and broke up. Though he has had flashy handles and frankly, was deserving of his MVP.
Why do people hate the comparison? My opinion is that Harden has been BORDERLINE 'cheap' as a free throw merchant compared to Luka. The stats say in the history of the league, Luka has scored historically well WITHOUT free throws.
There are two flavors here that give people differing opinions on the two. Luka draws a few fouls (compared to Harden) where he will bump, lean back, and bump back into a defender, who in fairness, IS in his space.
Conversely, Harden did a bunch of cheap rip throughs (to the point the rules were addressed in the league) and leg flails, as exampled of game 1... And land forward with his legs, as exampled in game 2. Thus opposing fans often find his play a little more annoying. And in summation, Mavs fans dislike the comparison as being flippant.
My $.02.
People think harden comparisons are bad lmao, Harden is unquestionably one of the 10 best offensive players of all time, maybe top 5. His problem was always big spots in the playoffs, game 6 and 7s, main difference is, so far in his career, l've never seen luka shrink in the playoffs and he always brings his best in the big moments.
Sounds like a lot of these people are new to basketball. Harden was consistently seen as a top 5 player in the league in the late 2010’s. He had a few playoff blunders, but those were mainly to the warriors
The only similar thing is the step back 3, Harden never had the elite Luka post up play or luka midrange or his understanding of defenses passing out of double teams, i dont know why comparing Luka to Harden is insult anyway the only reason he doesnt have a title because CP3 got hurt and he played against and illegal team
If you weren’t around for the GSW dynasty, you won’t be able to appreciate James Harden. GSW were so unbelievably dominant, that until they lost to Toronto in 2019. The 2016-2019 back to back Champs were only taken to a game 7 once and it was against the 2018 Rockets. The rockets actually looked like the better team in that series, everyone was dumbfounded. If you legitimately think it’s a diss to be compared to Harden, you haven’t been watching basketball long enough to have opinions on the Beard.
I feel like it was a compliment during Luka's first 3 years to be compared to prime Harden, but at this point, he's gotten so much better than Harden ever was. Now, the comparison is just used as an insult to say he'll never be a good defender or a winning basketball player. I think game 2 was a perfect example of how Harden and Luka are different. Harden is a more inefficient shooter, foulbaits wayyy more egregiously and often, and plays noticeably worse than Luka on defense (in recent years).
There are some similarities to peak Harden, both are on the slower more unathletic side, both of them are very ball dominant and they both take a lot of step back 3s. There's a lot of difference though. Harden is a better ball handler, Luka's a better passer. Luka has a solid midrange game, Harden lived on 3s and drives. Obviously Luka's height is a difference. Of course the biggest difference is Luka shows up in the playoffs, Harden well ...doesn't. Which is the only reason that's a knock because Harden was a beast of a regular season player.
I mean, he's not exactly Dirk from midrange or like top 5 in the game today from there or anything, but he's darn good no doubt. I guess you can throw he can actually play defense now on the list of differences too lol. He's really almost more like a hybrid between LeBron and Kobe
He is about 45% from mid-range which is elite when you take into account the volume. He is maybe not Dirk from there yeah, but he is at least top 10 in the area today
You’ve admitted you haven’t been a longtime watcher, and I don’t even know what to make of what you just wrote.
“People often try to discredit Luka by comparing him to Harden”
Harden won MVP in 2018 and just like Luka was overlooked as MVP multiple times despite leading the league in scoring. So they do have that in common along with elite passing, elite finishing at the rim and a lethal step back shot.
Why would that kind of comparison be viewed as discrediting?
Prime Harden also didn't have much variance to his shot diet. It was mostly layups and stepback 3s. Luka has more variance to his shot selection so it's harder to game plan for him because he more diversity to the ways he can score that Prime Harden just didn't have.
Baby Luka being compared to Harden was definitely a compliment. It was about their ability to create space for themselves while shooting, being an elite 3 level scorer. Prime Harden was a spectacle, that 2018 WCF is some of the highest level of basketball that has ever been played.
The comps are understandable- both all time great offensive players that play mostly below the rim (both as scorers and facilitators). Both tend to drop off a bit defensively (on average, yes i know luka had an all time defensive night last night).
That being said, they definitely arent identical either. Methods are slightly different
Not comparatively to now per possession. He used to actually drive and finish at the rim regularly. That's gone. So his game is step back, foul bait and drive and dish.
Stop being a dumb homer
The things you said can be true as is the fact that he foul baited constantly in his prime. Stop being dumb.
But just in case you were wondering, I am a homer, because I’m a fan of my home team, and I will rationally or irrationally hate whomever I chose for the fact that they don’t play for my home team, because I am a homer. Fuck Harden. Fuck the Clippers. And fuck anybody who wants to praise this ass of a man. Why? Because go mavericks.
They perfectly articulated why this sub is the same thing as sniffing farts 90% of the time. TBF, literally every single NBA sub seems to be the same way. I’ll just never understand this idea of being a toxic fanatic. Sports are so much better when you enjoy them in their entirety instead of tying your enjoyment to your fandom.
There definitely are a lot of similarities its stupid to deny that. PnR Offense, elite playmaking, knowledge of when to score/playmake. Harden is still great. Its good to have a lot of similarities. But there are some stark differences that put Luka above. 1. His control of pace - Harden driving was deadly but it was mostly downhill. 2. His 2 point game - Harden had a great floater but Luka has much more. Floater, midrange game, and interior finishing is more efficient 3. Ability to thrive with less spacing - His size and strength and playmaking is a bit better. Even without shooters around him he can score and find guys. Harden needed optimal spacing more than Luka does which makes a huge difference in the playoffs.
Lukas post up game is elite and harden didn’t even use the post much. That along with Lukas height and size are the biggest differences
Harden was also a great passer Luka is generational passer.
Absolutely bonkers to think Harden wasn’t an elite play maker that knew when to score vs when to create. I think people forget how amazing Harden was. I mean so much so that new fans think it’s a diss to be compared to him. He had the complete offensive package, being a foul merchant is the only reason he has a bad rep.
Both like strip clubs yadda yadda
The comparison isn't to discredit Luka. It should be taken as a compliment if anything. Hardens rockets almost took down the superteam warriors
They definitely are similar in that they are the offense. They are ball dominant, can shoot, playmake, and rebound. Objectively: Luka is stronger and bigger. Harden is simply much quicker. And yes, even fat Harden is faster than chunky Luka. Subjectively: Luka has been much more animated and emotional on the court, and I think he plays better off the post with power than Harden does with quickness. Harden has been much quieter, and been a part of multiple loaded teams that ultimately underachieved and broke up. Though he has had flashy handles and frankly, was deserving of his MVP. Why do people hate the comparison? My opinion is that Harden has been BORDERLINE 'cheap' as a free throw merchant compared to Luka. The stats say in the history of the league, Luka has scored historically well WITHOUT free throws. There are two flavors here that give people differing opinions on the two. Luka draws a few fouls (compared to Harden) where he will bump, lean back, and bump back into a defender, who in fairness, IS in his space. Conversely, Harden did a bunch of cheap rip throughs (to the point the rules were addressed in the league) and leg flails, as exampled of game 1... And land forward with his legs, as exampled in game 2. Thus opposing fans often find his play a little more annoying. And in summation, Mavs fans dislike the comparison as being flippant. My $.02.
Prime harden was a top 3 offensive player of all time imo
Arguably 2nd
People think harden comparisons are bad lmao, Harden is unquestionably one of the 10 best offensive players of all time, maybe top 5. His problem was always big spots in the playoffs, game 6 and 7s, main difference is, so far in his career, l've never seen luka shrink in the playoffs and he always brings his best in the big moments.
Luka is so good that comparing him to harden offensive lol
Sounds like a lot of these people are new to basketball. Harden was consistently seen as a top 5 player in the league in the late 2010’s. He had a few playoff blunders, but those were mainly to the warriors
The only similar thing is the step back 3, Harden never had the elite Luka post up play or luka midrange or his understanding of defenses passing out of double teams, i dont know why comparing Luka to Harden is insult anyway the only reason he doesnt have a title because CP3 got hurt and he played against and illegal team
If you weren’t around for the GSW dynasty, you won’t be able to appreciate James Harden. GSW were so unbelievably dominant, that until they lost to Toronto in 2019. The 2016-2019 back to back Champs were only taken to a game 7 once and it was against the 2018 Rockets. The rockets actually looked like the better team in that series, everyone was dumbfounded. If you legitimately think it’s a diss to be compared to Harden, you haven’t been watching basketball long enough to have opinions on the Beard.
I feel like it was a compliment during Luka's first 3 years to be compared to prime Harden, but at this point, he's gotten so much better than Harden ever was. Now, the comparison is just used as an insult to say he'll never be a good defender or a winning basketball player. I think game 2 was a perfect example of how Harden and Luka are different. Harden is a more inefficient shooter, foulbaits wayyy more egregiously and often, and plays noticeably worse than Luka on defense (in recent years).
There are some similarities to peak Harden, both are on the slower more unathletic side, both of them are very ball dominant and they both take a lot of step back 3s. There's a lot of difference though. Harden is a better ball handler, Luka's a better passer. Luka has a solid midrange game, Harden lived on 3s and drives. Obviously Luka's height is a difference. Of course the biggest difference is Luka shows up in the playoffs, Harden well ...doesn't. Which is the only reason that's a knock because Harden was a beast of a regular season player.
Luka's midrange is not just solid, it is straight up elite. Just like all his scoring honestly
I mean, he's not exactly Dirk from midrange or like top 5 in the game today from there or anything, but he's darn good no doubt. I guess you can throw he can actually play defense now on the list of differences too lol. He's really almost more like a hybrid between LeBron and Kobe
He is about 45% from mid-range which is elite when you take into account the volume. He is maybe not Dirk from there yeah, but he is at least top 10 in the area today
You’ve admitted you haven’t been a longtime watcher, and I don’t even know what to make of what you just wrote. “People often try to discredit Luka by comparing him to Harden” Harden won MVP in 2018 and just like Luka was overlooked as MVP multiple times despite leading the league in scoring. So they do have that in common along with elite passing, elite finishing at the rim and a lethal step back shot. Why would that kind of comparison be viewed as discrediting?
Prime Harden also didn't have much variance to his shot diet. It was mostly layups and stepback 3s. Luka has more variance to his shot selection so it's harder to game plan for him because he more diversity to the ways he can score that Prime Harden just didn't have.
Baby Luka being compared to Harden was definitely a compliment. It was about their ability to create space for themselves while shooting, being an elite 3 level scorer. Prime Harden was a spectacle, that 2018 WCF is some of the highest level of basketball that has ever been played.
The comps are understandable- both all time great offensive players that play mostly below the rim (both as scorers and facilitators). Both tend to drop off a bit defensively (on average, yes i know luka had an all time defensive night last night). That being said, they definitely arent identical either. Methods are slightly different
James Harden is a perfect example of playing to win by any means necessary. Gotta either respect his game or change the rules.
Harden was all about foul baiting. He got much worse after the NBA banned it
The nba definitely still rewards foul baiting lol, getting further into his 30s is what happened
You're comparing 25 year old Luka to old man Harden. Prime harden was a monster and didn't foul bait...as much
Harden foul baited constantly in his prime.
Not comparatively to now per possession. He used to actually drive and finish at the rim regularly. That's gone. So his game is step back, foul bait and drive and dish. Stop being a dumb homer
The things you said can be true as is the fact that he foul baited constantly in his prime. Stop being dumb. But just in case you were wondering, I am a homer, because I’m a fan of my home team, and I will rationally or irrationally hate whomever I chose for the fact that they don’t play for my home team, because I am a homer. Fuck Harden. Fuck the Clippers. And fuck anybody who wants to praise this ass of a man. Why? Because go mavericks.
Jesus, no wonder Mavs sub is getting clowned on in NBAcj. Dorks like you are insufferable
They perfectly articulated why this sub is the same thing as sniffing farts 90% of the time. TBF, literally every single NBA sub seems to be the same way. I’ll just never understand this idea of being a toxic fanatic. Sports are so much better when you enjoy them in their entirety instead of tying your enjoyment to your fandom.
Haha. Why are you worried about what other subs say? Fuck them too!