James Harden stands out on opening night
by Chris Zolli | Clippers Correspondent | Wed, Oct 29th 7:22pm EDT
James Harden scores 32 points in a road victory over the Lakers to begin the season. (Houston Chronicle)
Fantasy Impact:
Harden added six assists to his game high 32 points last night, solidifying his place as one of the premier scorers in basketball. The Lakers may not have a strong backcourt, but there are many who think that Harden will contest for a scoring title this year. Over his two years with Houston, Harden has averaged 25.7 points per game and is shooting an average of 17 times from the field and 10 times from the line. Considering that Harden is a good shooter from both the field, nearly 50% on 2 pointers and 37% on three pointers, and from the free throw line, a career 85% shooter, it is not crazy to think that if he were to shoot 18-20 times per game that Harden scores about 27 or 28 points per game. Considering that Carmelo Anthony thinks he will score less in the Triangle, Kevin Durant is injured, and that LeBron James now has to play with Kevin Love, it is not farfetched to think that the scoring leader will have about 27 or 28 points per game. Harden is a top-5 player who could even be a top-3 player by the time the season ends.
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