The extra pounds still hang off James Harden’s belly — the final remnants of the recklessness he weaponized to barrel his way out of the Houston Rockets — but they’re starting to melt away.
He’s embarking on a familiar playbook for disgruntled stars who take PR hits en route to new teams: win, so your aims seem justified in the end. The strategy is rooted mostly in distraction. How many times can one mention how Harden arrived in Brooklyn in the midst of him racking up triple-doubles?
The weight gain, if it affected his game at all, gives him more girth to bully defenders, the kookiest example yet of what makes Harden such a confusing player and compelling character: He violates our conceptions of what it takes to succeed, the same way his new superstar teammates raise questions about the utility of victory.