This column is fundamentally unfair. I’ll admit that right up front. But it’s called for, at least in a general sense.
Mitchell is not Harden and likely never will be. The reigning MVP’s streak as the Rockets have launched themselves from subterranean levels to the upper reaches of the West has been remarkable, hitting shots like the bobbing-and-weaving number he put on the Warriors the other night for the win.
That latest achievement, stacked on top of everything else he’s done as the Rockets have transformed themselves from disappointing to dynamic, re-establishing themselves as a real threat, is emblematic of what a single great player can do for his team when his team is struggling.