McHale unsure if Harden can transition into point guard

For the better part of his career, guard James Harden has been hardwired to look for his shot first and ask questions later.

Now that he's transitioning into a full-time point guard for the Houston Rockets, former head coach Kevin McHale has his doubts over whether the four-time All-Star can prioritize facilitating over scoring.

"You are who you are a lot of times," McHale said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Calvin Watkins. "Can you change and be a facilitator first? I don't know. Kevin Garnett, a guy I go way, way back with - Kevin Garnett was always a pass-first player. He was a pass-first player his first day of practice when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves."

"James is a scorer, and at the end of the day, you do fall back on what you are. James is a scorer at heart. Can you change that? ... Can you be something that you're really not for an entire 82-game season? He's a great facilitator, great passer, and he has great vision - he really is a scorer as a basketball player."

At least Harden has taken to his new role early on, as he's the only player in the league averaging double-digit assists in the preseason with 12, which is 3.7 more than second-ranked Tim Frazier of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Even though only one percent of his minutes heading into the 2016-17 campaign have come at point guard, Harden has grown accustomed to running the offense during his run with the Rockets. He ranked second in the NBA in usage rate (32.5) last season, evidence of his control of the ball and the amount of shots he attempted, which also ranked fourth overall (19.7).

Accumulating assists was never an issue, as Harden contributed a career-best 7.5 per game. Houston was also 17-9 when the 27-year-old had nine or more.

The Rockets are a perfect 3-0 in preseason, and will officially unveil Harden as their new point guard in their season opener on Oct. 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.