The player: James Harden, a 6′5″ 218 lb. sophomore guard.
The game: Oregon Ducks (6-9) @ Arizona State Sun Devils (13-2.)
The result: Arizona St. 76 Oregon 58.

Harden, a consensus top-5 pick if he declares for the 2009 NBA draft, came into the game averaging 23.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

What he did well:

  • Pass. Harden made plays for his teammates both off the dribble and from a triple threat position. He was especially effective penetrating to the middle of the floor, drawing defenders and kicking it out to a teammate for an open jump shot.
  • Got to the free throw line. Harden didn’t settle for jump shots. Getting to the free throw line is one of the things that separates elite from ordinary NBA swingmen.
  • Played under control and made good decisions. He is never in a hurry and doesn’t look like he is moving particularly fast, but usually gets to where he is trying to get to on the floor. Similar to a Paul Pierce or a Joe Johnson in this regard.

What he didn’t do well:

  • Shoot. Harden went 5-12 from the field (1-6 from 3) and 8-13 from the line. He appears to have the range and touch to be a reasonably consistent NBA shooter but it’s going to take some work for him to get there.
  • Move without the ball. Harden only caught one pass within 10 feet from the hoop, which he converted for a layup. The rest of the game he caught the ball 15-20 feet from the hoop and faced up. He was not active without the ball.
  • Go right off the dribble. Harden is left-handed and the only time he went right it was for show, to set up a crossover dribble to go back to his strong side.

Offensively, Harden has a lot of the tools to be a plus player on the wing for an NBA team. He doesn’t have plus size or plus athleticism, however, so he is going to have to work hard to become even more skilled than he is now to reach his potential. Defensively, it was hard to get a read on his ability and desire b/c ASU spent the entire game in a pretty soft 2-3 zone.

The verdict: Harden is going to be a solid starting 2 guard but not a star.