James Harden Calls Jeff Van Gundy...A Psycho?

If there’s anything that the Netflix series “Starting 5” has taught NBA fans, it’s that James Harden has a way with words. Every now and then, the former MVP’s wit shines through when he has a microphone in front of him on national television.

After the LA Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 115–103 on Tuesday, the “NBA on NBC” panel asked Harden to comment on the impact of assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy. Almost immediately, Harden came up with a unique way to describe the veteran mentor.

“To this day, he’s helped me. He’s psycho in a good way,” Harden said of JVG.

Harden, who finished with 16 points and 10 assists in the victory over the Jazz, went on to explain his choice of words. “He [Van Gundy] spends so much time in the gym working on defense; he wants to be perfect, he wants to get it right all the time.”

As the Clippers star explained these details, one member of the NBC panel listened with keen interest. Tracy McGrady had spent three years under Van Gundy’s tutelage in Houston (a team that Harden also happened to play for), and he knew exactly what the Beard was saying about JVG.

A couple of additional details from Harden led McGrady to laugh out loud: “He’s sending me notes in my locker. He’s sending me long, long text messages like I’m 20 years old.”

Though it’s perhaps a chore for the 11-time All-Star to read through Van Gundy’s messages, the dynamic between the players and the coaching staff has translated into a vastly improved win-loss record for the Clippers. After being a laughingstock in the first two months of the season, the Clips have gone 16–3 and inched ever closer to .500. At 22–24, they have now entered the conversation of Western Conference playoff contenders.

In that 19-game span, Harden averaged 24.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. Harden has been a beast for a long time, but it does help that a “psycho” is sending him notes to read right before he hits the showers.