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Harden calls All-NBA snub extra motivation

Cary Edmondson / USA TODAY Sports

James Harden earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection this season, but the Rockets superstar was snubbed from an All-NBA selection for the first time in his four-year tenure in Houston.

And that's what Harden says he'll use to fuel him going forward.

"That's extra motivation for me to come back and be a better basketball player overall," Harden said Wednesday on teammate Jason Terry's Sirius XM radio show.

"I know what I bring to the table. That's another reason why I'm more excited about what we have next year as far as coaching plans and players we have coming in," Harden added after describing his excitement to play for new Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni.

Related: Harden named world's 54th-most famous athlete

Harden, who averaged a career-high 29 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds on a Usage Rate of 32.5 percent during the 2015-16 campaign, could conceivably see those numbers rise under D'Antoni, whose teams have been known to push the pace and create additional possessions (Houston finished seventh in pace this season).

But if the 26-year-old wants to see his name return to All-NBA ballots, he'll have to put forth a more honorable defensive effort to become the better overall player he speaks of.

Of the top-34 players in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus metric for 2015-16, Harden - who had started to turn a defensive corner in 2014-15 - was the only one to post a negative Defensive RPM.

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