Harden: No player had as much responsibility as me last season
James Harden has a reputation for being somewhat of a defensive liability.
The Houston Rockets guard acknowledged that critical flaw in his game recently before insisting the chatter "doesn't really" bother him.
"Everybody makes mistakes," he told Lang Whitaker of NBA.com. "I can look up the same amount of plays for myself as the other top guys in the league. So I don't really worry, I don't focus on it."
He then blamed his defensive shortcomings on his workload.
"It's really difficult to go out there, play all 82 games, lead the league in minutes, and have to do everything offensively. I mean, no one else had that weight on their shoulders in the league," Harden said.
Related: Harden says, 'Last year was very stressful for all of us'
He's expecting matters to change for the better.
Following a 41-41 regular season and a first-round playoff exit, the Rockets hired Mike D'Antoni as head coach. They also nabbed Jeff Bzdelik - who was the head defensive coach for the Memphis Grizzlies - to help with their defense, which ranked in the bottom third of the league and allowed opponents to score 106.4 points per contest (sixth-highest).
"You know, everybody talks about, 'The Rockets aren't a good defensive team,'" Harden said. "Well, we got one of the best defensive coaches in the league now. So it's all about preparation. In this league it's all about preparation, putting guys in positions where they're successful, and good things happen."
In terms of player personnel, the club added Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Nene Hilario this offseason. Harden's convinced the boost in talent will take some offensive pressure off of him and thus enable him to excel at both ends of the court.
The 26-year-old All-Star's excited about working with new teammates and coaching staff, and establishing a culture within the organization that promotes "doing things the right way and holding each other accountable," which he admitted Houston "kind of lacked last year, and it showed."
Harden's optimistic the 2016-17 campaign will be different.
"I'm just excited to have some stability, have some guys who are going to work and focus on winning. This year's going to be a lot better," he said.