James Harden responds to Antoine Walker criticism over style of play
James Harden did not think much of recent criticism of his style of play from longtime Boston Celtics forward Antoine Walker.
Walker recently praised the Celtics for not getting involved in Harden trade talks, telling the “All Things Covered” podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden that Harden’s style of play did not translate to wins in the NBA.
“I don’t think you can win with his style,” Walker said, via Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports. “Any time it takes a guy six, seven, eight dribbles to get to where he has to go, that’s a problem. It works today because it’s more of a pick-and-roll league, so he gets away with a lot of things now, but I would not leverage my future for James Harden.”
On Sunday, Harden was asked about Walker’s comments, and dismissed them with one sentence.
James Harden's All-Star media session starts off with a bang: A reporter asks him about Antoine Walker's comments that his style of play can't win games. Harden says he doesn't pay attention to comments from people with no credibility.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) March 7, 2021
Walker has credibility in Boston, where he’s a widely-respected figure. That won’t matter much to Harden, who has been outstanding for the Nets since being traded from Houston. All he really needs to do at this point is let his play do the talking.
