Many wondered if Mike D'Antoni would be able to work harmoniously with James Harden when he took the Rockets head coaching job this offseason.
So far, so good.
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Harden, one of the league's most gifted — but sometimes lackadaisical — stars, is off to the best start of his career, in his eighth season in the league. He's seen more opportunities at point guard with Patrick Beverley in and out of the lineup, and he has flourished in the role, averaging 11.8 assists per game.
D'Antoni was made famous for his high-flying, quick-scoring Suns teams led by Steve Nash last decade. He had an unsuccessful stint with Carmelo Anthony in New York, and another with the Lakers, but it appears he's found his groove again in Houston.
"From the owner to the general manager to the superstar, we want to play a certain way," D’Antoni told the Washington Post last week. "Now, OK, that’s what we had in Phoenix, and that’s what we have here. There was always that piece missing [in New York and Los Angeles] where we had a couple people that didn’t want to do it. We tried, compromised, and it still didn’t work.
"[That] is on me, because I have to make it work. That’s a coach’s lot in life. But it didn’t work."
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Harden, who is nearly averaging a triple-double this season, is a fan of D'Antoni's laid-back philosophy.
"I didn’t know what to expect," Harden admitted to the Post. "I know what Steve Nash did, but I didn’t know what to expect. Now it’s free flowing. He doesn’t try to control anything. If he has a play, he’ll throw it at me, and if I have something better, I’ll just tell him I have something better, and he’s cool with it.
"That kind of relationship, it goes a long way. We’re able to talk about anything. We’re still fairly new to each other, it’s only been a few months, but it’s fun."
The Rockets (13-7) currently sit fourth in the Western Conference standings.