Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is reportedly looking to get traded to a contender.
In story by Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated, former Miami Heat sharpshooter Ray Allen commented on the 2018 MVP’s request to get traded and offered Harden an example of the kinds of questions he should be asking himself.
“There’s a point where you have to be real with yourself and ask yourself, `What do I need to do to move to the next level?’” Allen said. “A lot of guys say they will make those changes and adjustments. But it’s a difficult, difficult process, and you have to make a huge sacrifice.”
Allen also indicated that Harden’s hypothetical transition to another team’s system in the future may be somewhat difficult. He used his own experience of transitioning from the Seattle SuperSonics to the Boston Celtics as an example.
“It was it was very unnerving, because now I don’t have a rhythm,” Allen said. “It was pissing me off because I was like, ‘You want me to win the game, or help win the game, but yet you’re not putting me in positions to do that.’”
Ultimately, Allen asked some important questions about Harden’s willingness to evolve as a player in order to enjoy greater success in the NBA.
“Would he be willing to come together with a new group of guys and trust that they can carry him as much as he thinks that he can carry them?” Allen asked. “Everybody gives something up that they don’t want to give up.”
Harden, 31, is one of the best scorers in the NBA.
The veteran is averaging 33.0 points, 10.8 assists and 4.8 boards per game this season. He’s led the league in scoring multiple times throughout his career.
Still, Allen believes Harden is capable of playing off the ball. However, he also believes Harden needs to ask some big questions about his NBA goals.
“I believe he’s capable of doing it,” Allen said of Harden playing off the ball. “You got to ask yourself: What do you truly want?”
Allen, 45, knows all about sacrifice when it comes to capturing titles.
The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made had a prolific personal career before joining stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the Celtics in 2007. Allen’s willingness to play off the ball and alter his conventional role in the offense helped lead the Celtics to a championship in 2008.
In addition, Allen did the same with the Heat before he retired. He came off the bench and desired no spotlight alongside superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for two seasons.
Of course, Allen hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA history during the 2013 NBA Finals.
