Daryl Morey: ‘James Harden Is Only A Polarizing Figure To People Who Don’t Watch’

James Harden gets a lot of love from his NBA peers, but analysts, fans and viewers tend to harp on the Beard’s lax defense instead of his incredible offensive ability.

Kevin Durant recently came out and criticized the media for not voting Harden onto an All-NBA team, saying “Nobody really appreciates what [James Harden] does except for the players in our League.” Rockets GM backed up this statement by claiming that Harden is “only a polarizing figure to people who don’t watch.”

More from Oliver Maroney and Basketball Insiders

“He’s only a polarizing figure to people who don’t watch,” Morey told Basketball Insiders. “Players voted him MVP [in 2014-15] for a reason. He’s had a winning team every season of his career, with multiple Conference Finals appearances.”

Harden is only one year removed from finishing second in MVP voting and leading the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals. To his credit, Harden also played in all 82 games last season and Houston likely would have missed the Playoffs all together had it not been for his play.

Regardless, 2016-’17 is shaping up to be a huge season for the star shooting guard.