Why hasn’t James Harden led the Rockets to a title?

Although James Harden has drawn criticism for his inability to lead the Houston Rockets to a championship, the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on Harden.

James Harden has already etched himself as one of the best players in NBA history, as he’s arguably the best scorer the league has ever seen. Harden has led the league in scoring in each of his past three seasons with the Houston Rockets and has been an annual MVP Finalist during that same stretch.

Harden joined the Rockets prior to the 2012-13 season, after they had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and has lifted them to a postseason appearance in each of his eight seasons in the Space City. Harden has a repertoire of scoring abilities that make it nearly impossible to shut him down, as pointed out by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

“James is probably one of the best offensive players we’ve ever seen in this league. Because he gets into the paint with his runners/floaters, and he has his stepbacks and threes in transition. He has his catch-and-shoot threes when off the ball, and he’s very tricky with his moves in the paint.”

James got a firsthand glimpse of Harden’s brilliance during the Western Conference Semfinals matchup between the Rockets and the Lakers. But for as great as Harden has been throughout his tenure with the Rockets, the only thing he lacks is an NBA title.

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