5 Goals Houston Rockets’ James Harden Should Set For 2014-15 Season

Last season, Harden attempted 208 more field goals than anyone on this team. The next closest player? Chandler Parsons, who is no longer with the Rockets. Bottom line is Harden is going to have to carry the load offensively. Harden -- who by the way is highly efficient with his shot selection -- will need to increase his points per game from 25 to 30 this season in order for the Rockets to remain competitive. Nobody else on this team can shoot.

I just can’t take it anymore, and I can’t be the only one. The beard has gone from being endearing and novel to being patently disgusting. That’s probably the reason he has been reduced to dating strippers. Come on man -- nobody thinks it’s cute anymore.

One of the side effects of being the only person on your team that can shoot the ball is that it is in your hands a lot. The side effect of that is turnovers. Harden was the worst shooting guard in the league in terms of taking care of the ball, averaging 3.6 turnovers per game. He needs to cut out some of those turnovers, but realistically that will be difficult since he will probably have the ball in his hands even more this season.

Since last season ended, there have been several incidents involving Harden in which his teammates called his leadership skills into question. Those were definitely hyperbolized in order to draw interest, but if he wants to take the next step in his career, he must become the clear and unquestioned leader on this team. That means not only carrying the load offensively, but also being the leader in the locker room, as well.

Nobody expects Harden to become a defensive juggernaut, but it would definitely be nice to see him put in some effort on that side of the court. Then again, how would we pass the time if there weren’t 11 minute-long YouTube videos dedicated to his defensive ineptitude?