He also earned second-team Parade All-American honors. During that season, he averaged 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists and was named a McDonald's All-American. Harden attended Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, where he led the team to a 33-2 record and a second consecutive state title as a senior.
James Harden was born in Los Angeles, California, to Monja Willis, whom he credits as the biggest influence in his life. He'll always be a threat for 30-and-10, but he's no longer in a situation where that's needed from him on a game-to-game basis. While the three won't often all be on the court at the same time, there's reason for fantasy managers to be concerned that we'll no longer be getting the gaudy numbers from Harden that we've been used to over the past half-decade. In the 201 minutes the Big 3 shared on the court (regular season and playoffs), Harden posted a shockingly-low 18.3 percent usage rate and averaged only 16.1 points, 11.4 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per 36 minutes.
What will happen if Irving and Durant manage to stay healthy for most of the season? For some insight, we can look at Harden's numbers with that pair on the court. The Nets' Big 3 spent little time on the court together due to injuries, so Harden's numbers were artificially boosted by it often being a Big 2, or just himself. 1 this season, but there's also cause for hesitation. There will still be fantasy managers willing to take him No. Despite the mid-season change of scenery to a Brooklyn team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving also on it, Harden finished the 2020-21 season as the third-best fantasy player on a per-game basis.