“Coming in with James his rookie year, we asked him to guard guys, the best players off the bench, so he knows exactly what he needs to do on the defensive side of the ball,” Durant said. “When he [went] to Houston, he had to control the offense so much that it’s compromising on who you want to guard and what type of defense you want to play, but he’s always been good at getting steals and playing post defense, using his strength, so he’s an all-around defender.

“If we ask him to guard somebody, he can go out there and do his job. I think that’s the underrated part of his game.”

Steve Nash also asserted Harden is an underrated defensive player.

“His intelligence is special, defensively as well,” Nash said. “He sees it, he reads it, he has an understanding at that end of the floor as well. So I think he’s in a position where he’s grateful for this opportunity, he wants to win, and he’s willing to sacrifice, and so his leadership has been great.”