A Reddit user found a somewhat accurate way to predict what kind of game James Harden's going to have (and it has nothing to do with which refs call travelling). User AngryCentrist found that Harden had a significant decline in performance in cities with a reputation for having top-tier strip clubs.
By cross-referencing 4 seasons worth of data with the average review of the strip clubs that appeared when they typed in "[City] Strip Clubs," AngryCentrist found that Harden had more off-nights in cities where he was likely to have a late night the day before.
"I have proven, to a statistically significant degree, that James Harden’s game performance declines in cities with higher rated strip clubs," they wrote before sharing graphs of their findings.
The stats also bore out that Harden's best performance came in the city with the lowest-rated strip clubs (Toronto) and his worst performance came in the city with the highest-rated strip clubs (Miami). Take a look at their work here.
As Complex unearthed back in 2017, James Harden's love of exotic dancing has led to him being honored with a banner in a specific Houston strip club. And particular women have thanked Harden on social media after lucrative shifts. Still, it's a bit surprising that Harden's vices track so neatly.
