Houston Rockets guard James Harden has just been announced as a starter for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Harden was voted a starter with Stephen Curry as a Western Conference guard in the lineup. Harden joins Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins as the Western Conference Forwards. Harden finished 3rd in the Fan Rank, 2nd in the Player Rank, and 1 in the Media Rank for a total weighted score of 2.25 (the lower the better on this score). Curry finished above him to be a captain with a score of 1.25.

Harden has averaged 27.7 PPG, 6.5 AST and 5.0 RPG in 35 games. Harden has missed the last 7 games due to his hamstring but it did not let him fall out of the starting guard positions with the well-deserved Stephen Curry being the other guard. Harden also shot 39% behind the arc and has a total Adjusted Field Goal Percentage (AFG%) of 55% (stats provided by ESPN). Harden also leads the Rockets with a 30.4 PER, which is a high number compared to the rest of the league as well. Harden surely deserved his All-Star nod as he has been dominant throughout the first half of the season. It is nice to see Harden get the recognition he deserves for the work he put in with the team, and not get snubbed by Russell Westbrook who was starting to pick up his game while Harden was out.

The Rockets got the All-Star respect they deserve by sending “The Beard” to the All-Star game in Los Angeles. This year the format is no longer East versus west, it is a team captain drafted team. This year marks the first year of this change, and we will see If Harden gets drafted to LeBron’s team or Curry’s.