(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden has been one of basketball’s most prolific players of his era, but he has often played poorly in big playoff games, especially elimination games.
It is a circumstance that can result in a player’s reputation getting tarnished over the years.
Commentator Jason McIntyre said that in the NFL, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is football’s version of Harden because he does so well in the regular season only to shrink in the playoffs.
“We bend over backwards to defend Lamar when the reality is he’s a lot closer to a guy like James Harden or Joel Embiid,” McIntyre said on FOX Sports Radio. “Totally dominant regular season player, and then when it’s down to crunch time in the postseason when it matters most, what happens? Crickets.”
@jasonrmcintyre Says Lamar Jackson is the James Harden of the NFL:
“We bend over backwards to defend Lamar when the reality is he’s a lot closer to a guy like James Harden or Joel Embiid. Totally dominant regular season player, and then when it’s down to crunch time in the… pic.twitter.com/h8JH4BaLu6
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) August 23, 2024
Jackson has won two regular season NFL MVP awards in his six pro seasons, and he’s an electrifying player who can move the chains with his legs and make huge plays in that manner.
Last season, he threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 821 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, and was rewarded with his second MVP.
But in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he was just 20-for-37 passing as the top-seeded Ravens mustered only 10 points in a loss at home.
Despite Jackson’s scintillating talent, that was the first time he reached an AFC title game, and critics have gotten on him for not matching his regular season performance in the postseason.
The other side of the argument is that Jackson has had a lack of stars around him at the skill positions on offense, but this year should be a different story.
He will have four-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry next to him in the backfield, and wide receiver Zay Flowers is coming off a strong rookie campaign.
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