"Very smooth and crafty wing player … Used his sophomore season to add new dimensions to his game, and he proved to be a steady and consistent scoring threat … One of the most mature and NBA ready players of his class. It appears that he's one of those players who "finds a way to get by" despite his shortcomings." "James Harden’s situational statistics should ease many of the concerns teams have about his game. Harden's not flashy, but he's lethally effective." But he can score from just about anywhere on the floor. "Harden isn't the most explosive player in the draft, and he lacks ideal size for a shooting guard. Another option for the Wolves is to send Foye back to the point guard position and start Harden in the backcourt. Harden would offer a deep threat when Al Jefferson looks for open shooters after the double team collapses in the paint. The Wolves finished last in the league in field goal percentage and only shot 35.3 percent from the 3-point line. Like most teams in the draft, Minnesota might be interested in Harden for his lethal shooting skills. Randy Foye benefited greatly from the move to the two guard this past season and will most likely remain at that position in 2009-10. The Wolves would not necessarily address a need by drafting Harden at the shooting guard spot. Harden finished the season with a fizzle instead of exploding on the national stage. In two games, Harden was remarkably ineffective by shooting 3-for-18 and scoring 19 points. Harden placed a bitter taste in the mouth of NBA scouts who watched his NCAA tournament performances. He tends to favor the left side while ignoring opportunities to score from the right. The scouting report on Harden is to run him off the 3-point line and make him shoot from the midrange. In the NBA, most two guards are at least 6-6 or taller, which could present difficult matchups on both sides of the floor for the 6-5 Harden. Teams looking for an athletic player on the wing will want to stray from drafting Harden. From all accounts, Harden is a mature player at the young age of 20. Harden can finish around the rim when forced to drive to the lane and even showed a developing game with his back to the basket. Despite a lack of height for the position, Harden has a solid build to shrug off some of the best defenders in the league to create space for his step-back jumper. Harden's silky smooth delivery improved in his sophomore year while he averaged 20 points a game and 35.6 percent from the 3-point line. A left-handed deadeye shooter that carried the offensive load for Arizona State throughout the 2008-09 season. However, the troubles with NBA 2K9 are minor when you consider the robust level of controls and gameplay options available.The second-best shooting guard prospect in the draft, Harden is a pure scorer from the perimeter. The problem is you must be very precise to pull off moves even as simple as a crossover. When you press the left trigger, you can execute your dribble moves. Player movement and ballhandling are both mapped to the analog stick. Beyond on-the-court gameplay, the directional pad is mapped to four different areas, including quick substitutions and playcalling. As for the controls, they might be complicated for younger players. Overall, games are perfectly balanced between half-court sets and the fast break. Online, options have been expanded to include 5-on-5 multiplayer and a ranking system to measure your skills. The swishes and clanks from the rim sound crisp. As you progress through games, you'll notice beads of sweat form on their foreheads as they get tired.
Visually, the series has made major strides.