Seven-time All-NBA guard James Harden is a very good basketball player. He’s a former MVP winner, a ten-time All-Star, and a three-time scoring champion. Some might even say he is the system. 

But not last year, when Harden had to play second fiddle while teammate Joel Embiid stole the spotlight by winning NBA MVP instead. For the first time since 2012, Harden didn’t even make an All-Star team. It wasn’t a good look for The Beard.