James Harden: Being focused is boring.. sometimes you want to have a little fun

The struggle is real James Harden, the struggle is real. He echoes this sentiment, saying, “Being focused is boring, you know what I mean? Sometimes you want to have a little fun. Still, there is a goal, and to get there, you have to put the work in. For the most part, this summer is going to be about strictly focusing on basketball, and being in the best shape, the best condition, and making sure my body feels good, ultimately. But you also have to find a balance, and I think that’s what I’m doing. I think that’s what I’m great at.”
Source: hautetime.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
Harden is on a mission 😤 pic.twitter.com/2avKPydU9u – 5:49 PM

James Harden @JHarden13
Time is Priceless ⏳ pic.twitter.com/Z9jbGR15Q6 – 1:35 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Most points by decade:
60s — Wilt Chamberlain
70s — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
80s — Alex English
90s — Karl Malone
00s — Kobe Bryant
10s — James Harden pic.twitter.com/JH90LH2kF9 – 12:38 PM

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
Lowe Post podcast: Breaking down Harden/Sixers, Dame/Blazers, Beal/Wizards with @Bobby Marks, then @Ohm Youngmisuk on the Clippers going into the biggest season in franchise history:
Spotify: spoti.fi/3uHUNSG
Apple: apple.co/3Pl0NJ4 – 11:38 AM

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
Lowe Post podcast: Breaking down Blazers (Dame), Wiz (Beal), + Sixers (Harden) offseasons/futures w/ @Bobby Marks. Then @Ohm Youngmisuk + I go deep on the Clippers going into the biggest season in franchise history:
Spotify: spoti.fi/3uHUNSG
Apple: apple.co/3Pl0NJ4 – 1:50 PM

David Hardisty @clutchfans
Here’s an updated look at what the #Rockets got in the James Harden trade:
Tari Eason
2023 MIL first
2023 BKN first swap
2024 BKN first
2025 BKN first swap
2026 BKN first
2027 BKN first swap
Houston also got Jalen Green and Jabari Smith as an indirect result of the trade. – 12:17 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Most points by active players:
37,062 — LeBron James
28,289 — Carmelo Anthony
25,526 — Kevin Durant
23,477 — James Harden
23,298 — Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/9Byl1Q3emq – 9:19 AM

More on this storyline

 

Which, especially in the summer after a grueling season, can be challenging. James Harden: “I’ve got to be cautious of what I eat, because as you get older, your metabolism slows down. It sucks honestly, because I love to eat and I don’t want to be having to watch how many calories I intake. I don’t shred fat as fast as I used to, so I have to work extra hard, especially in the summertime. In the summertime, I just want to be free; I want to eat, sip wine, and do whatever I want to do. And it’s still [early summer], so I don’t want to be going crazy working out now, but I am going into year 14, so I’ve got to be cautious as far as hitting my peak — when I’m supposed to be in my stride — going into the season.” -via hautetime.com / July 14, 2022

His time on the court is the most valuable, of course. It’s gotten him everything he has, and it is finite. A serious injury could rip that time away at any given moment. “It won’t last forever,” he notes. “I mean, I’ll be 40 or something when it’s all said and done, but I want to look back and be like, you have had one of the best careers for someone ever to play basketball. At the end of the day, I’m a competitor. I don’t want to go out there and look bad; I still want to be able to play and produce, be efficient, and be good. When the end comes, everybody is going to know it, so right now I’m just taking advantage of it, having fun with it, working my butt off, putting the work in, and enjoying the moment, so that when all is said and done, I can look back and hopefully, will have made people proud.” -via hautetime.com / July 14, 2022

To be clear: No Donovan Mitchell deal is expected any time soon, barring a significant offer that Utah would be forced to consider. Perhaps this dynamic will be similar to the Rockets’ positioning during the final months of James Harden’s tenure in Houston, when the Rockets turned down offers for P.J. Tucker and made other moves to convince Harden to stay. Harden would later request a trade from the franchise before that year’s trade deadline. -via Bleacher Report / July 13, 2022