James Harden isn't leaving MVP conversations anytime soon

Today’s NBA, if nothing else, is a beautiful brand of basketball. We’re seeing the apex of coaching innovation being driven by numbers and a whole new range of skill sets from every position that we just didn’t have 20 years ago. Seven-foot ball handlers and guys who can stroke it from beyond 30 feet with the confidence of Killmonger shouting about kings.

An unfortunate takeaway from this newfound beauty is an ever-present debate about whether we should appreciate anyone who plays counter to what is considered the most aesthetically pleasing to the masses. For many, basketball is absolute, but for James Harden, nothing matters except the spatial relationship between himself and the closest defender — and that’s why he’s this year’s Most Valuable Player.

It’s become fashionable to charge much of Harden’s success to his ability to draw contact when he gets into the lane. The criticism is less about how effective this strategy has become nor has it ever been about how efficient he’s become because of it; it’s become a discourse about aesthetics. Harden at his best slows down the tempo of the game, he keeps opposing teams out of rhythm and takes free, uncontested shots while increasing future free-throw opportunities by increasing team foul numbers.

For many, this is nothing short of ugly basketball, but beauty has never been a measurable indicator of success nor has it ever been an objective variable. Harden plays in a way that is unique only to him, and any criticism about his style being hard to watch creates a paradigm of discursive aesthetics. Popular culture has never been home to the most highbrow art in any medium, and there are parts of Harden’s game that are inherently beautiful by any standard.

For the 2017-18 season, it became the year of the stepback for Houston’s shifty combo guard. That crossover move into a slight tiptoe behind the 3-point line is as good a signature move there is in the league right now. Because he’s a southpaw, is as if we’re watching him step back into a fourth dimension before he splashes one between the eyes of even the most suspecting defenders.

Harden’s most memorable play of the season was also the epitome of the move. When he snatched back his crossover, Wesley Johnson went tumbling backward as Harden hit his stepback. The play was damn near criminal in a vacuum, and a nod to how well Harden is able to produce beauty amongst all the hideous.