The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on a roll since they acquired James Harden at the trade deadline, and there’s no doubt that he’s fit in with the team instantly. Most of that has to do with how Harden plays the game, and he can elevate any team with his skill set.
His game was recently compared to NFL quarterbacks by NBA reporter Brandon Robinson, and he quickly agreed with the sentiment.
“You got Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes,” Harden said. “Those are some of the greats with their playmaking. All those guys have decisions to make in every possession, other than a handoff, their passing. It’s a split second, so those are the guys that have to make a decision. I don’t even know how many times they pass the ball, but it’s difficult, it’s not easy. Some people that are really great decision makers, under pressure can think that fast, and some people just aren’t, so it’s a tough situation to be in. But the ones that are good at it, they excel.”
Robinson then asked Harden which quarterback he would compare his game to.
“All of them, all of them are special in their own way,” Harden said. “It’s not an easy job to be a decision maker. Not even just in sports and life. You know how many, some people make not great decisions, and good things don’t happen. They make really good decisions and good things happen, so, yeah, just try. I gotta be better, and I will be.”
Years ago, Harden made the statement that he is the system, and some took that as him saying that everything revolves around him in a selfish way. What he was really trying to say was that when he has the ball in his hands, he can dictate the game with a simple pass, move, or shot that can put his team in a position to win.
That’s the role of a quarterback, and if you take a closer look, both of them and Harden have something in common.