When ownership decided to name the team “Thunder” there were mixed reviews. I’m not a fan of the singular team name idea, but some really liked the possibilities it created with marketing, game entertainment and puns (you know, Thunderpuns). The team’s name, logo and colors were announced with the song “Thunderstruck” playing overhead and since then, some variation of the song has stayed with the team.
And you can expect for the next however many years of the Thunder’s existence, “Thunderstruck” will be part of it. (I truly think part of the reason the team was named that was because of that dumb song.)
Well, now there’s a new song. Sub out Thunderstruck. It’s time to get Thunderbusted.
Sometimes here at Daily Thunder, we like to go inside the game. We like to dig deep, get inside the stats and understand basketball. Find the important things that can help you the reader, better comprehend the game on the court. And in that spirit, today I started thinking: I wonder if there is a difference in James Harden’s stats when he wears a headband?
And so I looked it all up. Through some exhaustive research, I’ve compiled this handy-dandy table and a chart to follow to inform you of such important things.
G
PPG
APG
RPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
With Headband
9
10.1
1.2
3.8
39.4
43.8
95.4
Without Headband
41
9.6
2.2
3.0
38.2
36.2
78.4
As we see, Harden turns into a sharpshooter when wearing the sweat-catcher. He jumps 17 percent from the free throw line and 7.6 percent from 3. He also goes up 1.2 percent from the field but in such a small sample size, I don’t think that matters. (I guess in reality, none of this matters, but alas.) And with the band, Harden gets to the line more (2.4 to 3.2 free throw attempts a game). Overall, with the headband, Harden is just a more productive player. And the most important thing, the team is 5-4 when he wears it. Read more…
