Rockets' Russell Westbrook: James Harden's Greatness Is 'Not Normal'

Russell Westbrook had a message for fans after the Houston Rockets' 132-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday: Don't take James Harden for granted.

"I think that a lot of people like to normalize greatness when you see it over and over again, but it's not normal, because there's nobody else that can do it," Westbrook said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "If it was normal, everybody would do it."

Harden recorded 36 points, six rebounds and five assists. MacMahon noted the 2017-18 MVP is on pace for another historic offensive season:

Westbrook is correct that greatness is often not appreciated when it happens. For as much as he has accomplished, LeBron James still has plenty of detractors.

There's no question Harden will go down as one of the greatest offensive players of his generation. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey went so far during an appearance on Selfmade to say Harden is a superior scorer to Michael Jordan:

The landscape around the league and Harden's playing style are bound to color the perception around his contributions, though.

Various rule changes and an emphasis on three-point shooting have led to a golden age of scoring. Using ESPN.com's real plus-minus as a barometer, Ian Levy of Nylon Calculus determined that averaging 20 points per game was once a reliable standard to gauge elite scorers but no longer serves as a useful threshold.

Along with that, Harden and the Rockets illustrate how emphasizing efficiency doesn't always earn acclaim.

Entering Monday night, 56.5 percent of Harden's field-goal attempts were three-pointers, and he was averaging 14.8 free throws per game. His 41.4 percent usage rate is on pace to be the second-highest in league history as well.

Nobody can argue with the results, but drawing so many fouls and shooting a high volume of threes make for a viewing experience that's bound to turn off some fans. And because of that, Harden may not get the kind of validation he and his teammates argue he deserves.