Video: James Harden shows no mercy on a kid at his basketball camp

James Harden apparently hasn't spoken to Rockets teammate Dwight Howard since the end of the season — a stretch that saw the center decline a $23 million player option to remain in Houston for 2016-17 — and now we may have our reason why: Harden is busy torching children at his summer camp.

During the James Harden Basketball ProCamp in Houston this past weekend, the four-time NBA All-Star ironically taught this youngster a lesson in defense. While you don't necessarily always want to keep your eye on the ball — watching the hips as an indication of your opponent's objective — it's probably a good idea to at least know where the ball is at all times. Because if you don't, you could be made to look a fool.

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And James Harden, like Andre Drummond and others before him, has no qualms making you look a fool.

Give the youngster credit for his footwork sticking with Harden for even a few crossover dribbles, though, since Harden was the league's MVP runner-up just a year ago. And credit the Rockets guard for selling a hilarious move. Hey, even the best of us get caught watching the paint dry on defense once or twice.

The behind-the-back ghost crossover is an upgrade over the last time we saw Harden holding a clinic for children, during 2016 All-Star Weekend festivities, when his engagement level was essentially the same as it was against the New York Knicks above — or the equivalent of staring at your phone during dinner.

And the zombie crossover wasn't Harden's only highlight from a weekend spent with Houston children. He also threw down a sweet off-the-wall slam worthy of the slam dunk competition, amid "MVP" chants.

Again, definitely an improvement from the time a bunch of kids worked Harden over off the dribble for a few buckets and beat him into submission defensively at the same basketball camp a few years ago.

The James Harden Basketball ProCamp: Come for all the fun stuff on offense, stay for the lack of defense.

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Ben Rohrbach

is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach