Now 2nd All Time In Made Threes, James Harden Will Go Down As One Of The Most Polarizing Players In NBA History

Adam Pantozzi. Getty Images.

Midway through the 1st quarter against the Jazz on Sunday night, James Harden had a pretty big moment in NBA history, finally passing Ray Allen for 2nd all time in 3PM

It was more a formality than anything else, but the reaction to the achievement had me wondering if by the end of his career, James Harden will go down as one of the most polarizing players in NBA history. Frankly, I don't see how he couldn't.

Even on something like this, you couldn't help but see how quickly some out there tried to discredit or put an asterisk on the achievement. Talking about volume, usage, era etc, and how that somehow makes it less impressive that Harden now sits alone in the #2 spot. Compare this to say, Steph Curry, and the reaction when he became the all time leader in 3PM, and I'd say the two could not be more different.

When you expand things to Harden's impact on the NBA and the game of basketball overall, it's another topic that will never have a consensus, despite what the production tells us. Personally, as a fellow Sun Devil, I will forever be of the stance that James Harden is one of, if not the greatest offensive talents the NBA has ever seen. Not just as a scorer, but as a passer as well. I would argue that like Steph Curry, he too changed how the game will be played from here on out. He's a first-ballot HOFer and one of the best to ever do it from a talent perspective. You don't exactly fall into this type of production by accident

But when you think of James Harden, do you think of any of those things? Probably not. It wouldn't surprise me if the majority of people didn't even realize he was about to pass Ray Allen on that list. Because when you think of James Harden, it's hard to get past his iso style and playoff shortcomings. I could argue he's more well known for his strip club appearances than his 3PM, despite his 2,975 (and counting) makes. 

NBA history is filled with all time greats who never ended up winning a title, and for some reason, it doesn't seem to hurt them to the same degree that it definitely hurts the perception around Harden. Part of that is of course his own doing, I think it's fair to say he's probably rubbed some people the wrong way given his trade demands, openly quitting on teams, showing up to camp out of shape so the team ultimately trades him etc. But the talent? The basketball talent is undeniable

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Considering Steph Curry looks like he has no intention of slowing down, I'll go out on a limb and say his spot atop the 3PM list is safe. As of now, he leads 3,782 to 2,975 and he's pretty much a lock to make around 4.0 3PM a game every season until he finally retires. I can't imagine Harden outlasts Curry by 3-4 seasons while still maintaining his current pace, and even he had to admit that Steph's record is probably pretty safe

In terms of other current guys, I'm not sure anyone is even close to being able to catch Harden let alone Steph. Dame is up next sitting at 4th with 2,639, but he doesn't exactly give off the vibes that his game will age gracefully. After that is LeBron at 2,441, but he has around 2 seasons left. Then you get to Paul George (2,267) and Durant (2,055), and even the guy who has been one of the best 3P shooters since he entered the league in Buddy Hield is all the way back in 20th at 1,970. 

So whether you hate or love the guy, I think we should at least appreciate that we were able to witness the top 2 3P shooters (by totals) in NBA history. The old era of the league (Harden, Steph, LeBron, KD, CP3) eventually won't be around anymore, and while chances are Harden will end his playing career without a title, at least he'll have made his mark on NBA history. It certainly could have been worse.