Prospect Profile: James Harden

In the days leading up to the NBA's May 19 Draft Lottery, NYKnicks.com will look at the top-rated players potentially available to teams with lottery picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. We offer these profiles for fans to familiarize themselves with some of the biggest names in the draft. A player's inclusion in this series of articles is based purely on his rankings in the scouting services and mainstream media and does not necessarily reflect the Knicks organization's preferences for the June 25 Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

We continue our series with a profile of Arizona State University shooting guard James Harden, a consensus top lottery pick according to major scouting services and numerous publications.

James Harden is considered by many to be undersized with a quirky style and limited athleticism.

So why is it that so many scouts and pundits are high on him?

Because after that, there is almost no flaw to be found in Harden’s game.

Above all, however, it is Harden’s uncanny knack to flat out score that makes him one of the elite prospects in this year’s draft class. He excels at being the focal point of the offense, wants the ball with the game on the line and possesses an aggressive nature and winning mentality that rubs off on his teammates. The left-handed shooting guard is often compared to Manu Ginobili and Brandon Roy for his ability to create his own shot, drain the three and drive to the hole.

After a strong but nondescript freshman year, the Arizona State star guard exploded with a sensational sophomore campaign. Harden averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 boards and 4.2 assists, with an impressive 48.9-percent field goal percentage, including a 35.6-percent clip from behind the arc. He also posted three double-doubles on the year, and dropped a career-high 40-points on UTEP on November 11.

After a whirlwind start to the season in which he lead the Sun Devils to a 14-2 record, Harden hit a wall and struggled down the stretch, culminating in a disappointing NCAA tournament. In an opening round win against Temple, he scored just nine points with six boards and seven dimes. In a loss to Syracuse in the round of 32, he managed just 10 points along with five rebounds and six assists.

Nonetheless, Harden is viewed as a solid prospect with an impressive all-around game, and should be off the board within the first 10 picks on draft night.