Basketball hotshot James Harden flaunted his passing skills and showed how special he can be in the system that the Houston Rocket's newest head coach Mike D'Antoni is trying to implement over the team.

The four-time NBA All-Star poured in impressive game-highs of 34 points and 17 assists in their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Wednesday evening, which the host team won 120-114.

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The league's 2012 Sixth Man of the Year winner, went nine for 19 from the field and only missed one attempt in his 16 trips in the foul line during the game. Harden also grabbed eight rebounds and snatched one steal in 37:11 minutes of playing time.

D'Antoni said he wanted the former Oklahoma City Thunder player to double his assists average from the last season, which is 7.5 assists per game in 82 contests played.

"Hopefully, he'll double his number of assists, and he had seven or eight [7.5] last year," the 65-year-old D'Antoni said in a Bleacher Report article.

"I hope he can average double that. He's one of the best passers I've been around," the 2005 NBA Coach of the Year added.

Harden seems to respond promptly from the call of his new bench boss as he registered a career high in the assist category. In the preseason games, the seven-year NBA veteran also displayed his passing abilities by averaging 10.7 assists per outing.

While his season opener was a positive game performance overall, Harden's carelessness plagued the Leslie Alexander-owned team at times. The 27-year-old committed seven turnovers and five personal fouls while scoring just six points and dishing out one assist during the final period of the match.

According to The Score, the Rockets will be trying to bounce back immediately on Thursday, when they visit the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks dropped their opener with a 130-121 overtime loss against the Indiana Pacers.

TagsJames Harden, houston rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike D'Antoni, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers