“He’s a sneaky fellow” — Chandler Parsons’ mother once gave him expert advice on how to defend James Harden

Chandler Parsons’ mother knew of James Harden’s foul-baiting tactics.

Ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets in 2017, Memphis Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons received a text from his mother. The message contained the usual things a mother would say to her kid. What made her message special was that she shared expert advice on how to guard James Harden.

Sneaky Harden

Parsons shared the screenshot of her mother’s text message. Per USA Today, the message read in part:

“Helly my love. ‘Good luck’ tonight! Come out aggressive! Drive strong & hard to the basket. Don’t reach in on Harden! He’s a sneaky fellow, drawing fouls. He usually gets those calls too! Rockets are gonna come to Memphis with a major chip on their shoulders! Play solid ‘D’. Shooting with confidence! Put arc on the ball.”

The game was played in mid-January of the 2016-17 NBA season. The Rockets prevailed, 119-95. Harden finished with 29 points on 7-of-9 from the field, 4-of-6 from deep, and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. It is safe to say that neither Parsons nor the Grizzlies heeded her advice.

Rockets-era James Harden

Parsons’ mother definitely knows his basketball. It was in the 2016-17 season that Mike D’Antoni was named Rockets head coach. Under D’Antoni, Harden blossomed into league MVP — someone who could get his teammates involved and score on his own. It was during his stint in Houston that Harden fished and drew fouls like a madman. Harden had 891 trips to the charity stripe that season, which led the league.

As etched in history, while Harden’s individual feats with the Rockets were second to none, he failed to win the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. They came close in the 2017-18 NBA season when they reached the Western Conference Finals. They were literally one win away from making it to the NBA Finals.

After his stint in Houston, fans started missing his vintage performances. Harden got busy figuring out how to play with the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Now with the Philadelphia 76ers, he’s still trying to mesh well with Joel Embiid. From time to time, Harden puts on an offensive display like he used to. This sends fans back to the not-so-distant past — an experience that gives them joy.

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