Get rid of the label! Harden and Towns’ rebirth journey!

22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, this is the regular season data Harden played this season. Compared with the previous one, Harden was selected as the All-Star again this season. Of course, looking back at his entire career, it is not surprising for Harden to be selected as an All-Star. This is his 11th time in his 16-year NBA career. It’s just a comparison of the previous selection based on record and personal data. This time it’s different. He relies on his game experience.

Returning back to Harden's first All-Star selection in his career was in 2013 when he joined the Rockets. He was only 23 years old at the time. He first stepped out of the Thunder's sixth man role and gradually took over the role of the Rockets' team leader.

During his nine years of playing for the Rockets, Harden has been a stable All-Star guard every year. As the scoring champion for three consecutive years, he was selected into the All-Squad for six times and won the Most Valuable Player in 2018, but unfortunately he never had the chance to step on the finals stage.

Then, Harden, whose physical fitness and condition gradually declined, was given up by the team and was traded to the Nets in January 2021, but the Big Three teams that gathered the two stars Durant and Irving had no chance to play their expectations. Just one and a half years later, Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, but this period of time was not satisfactory and was traded to the Clippers again in 2024.

When Harden joined the Clippers, he was already 34 years old. Although there were three high-traffic players, Leonard, Paul George and Westbrook, the outside world still did not think about them. When Harden made a bold statement at the press conference: "I am not a system player, I am a system", there were obviously many more fans waiting to watch the show than cheering for him, and they were eventually eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Last summer, George chose to join the 76ers, Westbrook switched to the Denver Nuggets, and Leonard declared an indefinite absence due to a right knee injury. The Clippers only had Harden and a group of character players who seemed not to be a star to play the team. But unexpectedly, it was in such a lineup that 35-year-old Harden played a new season that seemed to be reborn.

averaged 22.8 points, an increase of 6.2 points from the previous season. This is also the highlight data since 2021. It has scored more than 40 points in three games, and even scored 50 points against the Detroit Pistons. His previous games with 40 points and more than 50 points have been traced back to 2021 and 2019.

In his youth, Harden was criticized for not maintaining a good posture, but this season Harden missed only three regular season games, with five games playing more than 40 minutes, including 49 minutes in overtime against the Utah Jazz.

"I will choose to rest after the season ends!"

This is the answer given by Harden to reporters after the game where he scored 50 points.

Compared to offense, Harden's more surprising defense this season. Never seen as a defensive sharp knife player throughout his career, and he was even often ridiculed for being distracted by defense, but this season Harden began to bend down to defend. He averaged 1.5 steals per game in the top ten of the league's steal list, and his highest data in the past seven seasons.

For Harden, when Leonard was sure he couldn't catch up with the season due to injury, this might be his second chance to be the team leader after the Rockets. The last time he messed up everything because he was not mature enough, this time he needed to seize the opportunity.

So before the season started, Harden carefully planned and invited other teammates to Arizona to attend the training camp he hosted, where they trained 5V5.

"Team building and chemistry are very, very important. For me, I want to hold a training camp there, get these guys together, have dinner, etc. If you want to leave your family, just practice, get along and chat, and get to know each other, that will help you perform on the court."

Even if Leonard can't play, he went to Arizona to attend the rally, which still plays a very special role for young players who only joined the team this season. Due to a knee injury, Leonard did not return to the stadium until early January. In the first two months of the season, Harden led the team to a record of 19 wins and 15 losses, with a winning rate of over 50%, and also helped his teammates play in a representative season of his career.

Powell and Zubac averaged 21.8 points and 16.8 points respectively this season, both of which set career highs. To borrow Powell's words:

"I discussed with him to find out how we can bring the team to the best and let everyone play the best."

And Zubac also praised the star defender many times off the court:

"He is the best player in the league. When I joined the league, he was still in Houston. At that time, he could score 50 or 60 points, which was crazy. He can still play that way, which is crazy. The way he led us this year, whether on or off the court, What he did for everyone is incredible. He is one of the best teammates, and I think every player in the league will like to play with him. "

Harden, who entered his 16th year of his career, finally stopped in the first round of the playoffs, but from the whole season, we still see that he wants to get rid of the stereotype of not being dedicated enough in the minds of fans and only making fouls. However, at present, his changes seem to be only stopping at the individual. If he wants to lead the team to make substantial changes, he may have to wait until next season.

Like Harden, who is striving to change, there is another player in the East who is trying to get rid of the stereotypes in the hearts of fans..

And this season, Harden's Clippers and Towns' Knicks both made the playoffs. Although they may not be the first player in the team, and the team may not be able to reach the end, being able to play a different season and a different selves and help the team move forward is the most important thing in their careers.