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Brooklyn Nets star James Harden appears to be like on throughout a sport towards the Houston Rockets.
The Brooklyn Nets could also be proper the place pundits anticipated them to earlier than the season started — particularly, on the prime of the Japanese Convention standings — however they certain took an unconventional path to get there.
Steve Nash’s membership has gone 17-8 as of this writing even though Kyrie Irving has but to play a sport whereas refusing to stick to New York Metropolis’s ever-expanding vaccine mandate. Additionally, Blake Griffin has morphed from being resurgent to being unplayable, Joe Harris was pressured to endure ankle surgical procedure and James Harden has appeared like a shell of his former MVP self.
A few of that stuff has (or will) work itself out, although.
Griffin might have fallen aside, however LaMarcus Aldridge is again and appears to have turned the clock again a couple of years. Harris is out for the second, however it’s anticipated that he’ll return earlier than the commerce deadline. And it could not occur this season, however Kyrie will both give in and are available again or he’ll get moved for a hefty return.
Harden’s scenario is totally different, although. As underwhelming as he has been, there’s an opportunity that what followers are seeing now could be what they’ll proceed to see from him going ahead.
NY Publish: Diminished Harden Stands out as the New Actuality
On Thursday, the New York Post’s Zach Braziller penned a sobering evaluation of the Harden scenario and the nine-time All-Star’s season thus far. Within the piece, Braziller precisely famous that this isn’t only a fluke or a sluggish begin at this juncture.
It’s sustained underperformance by Harden on a stage that will necessitate a reexamination of his celebrity standing. He writes:
It’s been 25 video games, practically a complete third of the season, wherein James Harden hasn’t performed fairly like James Harden. Perhaps, for this 12 months not less than, that is who he’s. An excellent, however not nice, participant. A transparent No. 2 to Kevin Durant, as a substitute of a Nets co-star.
That’s a damning assertion, and likewise a daring one concerning a participant who had reached heights by no means earlier than seen the place main an offensive assault was involved. The numbers again the notion, although.
By way of 25 video games, Harden is averaging simply 20.9 factors per contest — his lowest mark because the 2011-12 season. In the meantime, his taking pictures percentages of 40.1% general and 34.6% from three-point vary are on tempo to be the worst numbers of his 13-year profession.
Added Braziller: “Regardless of the cause for his struggles, as the brand new 12 months nears, Harden has not resembled the participant who ignited the Nets a season in the past.”
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Outdated Excuses Don’t Clarify the Shortfall
Within the early going, Harden was outspoken in his criticism of the way in which that NBA referees at the moment are calling fouls. In an effort to get rid of “non-basketball strikes” getting rewarded with journeys to the charity stripe, officers are giving much less leeway to offensive gamers.
As Harden sees it, this new interpretation of foul guidelines is concentrating on him straight
“It’s nonetheless basketball on the finish of the day,” Harden mentioned in October, through Sports Illustrated. “Irrespective of how a lot of a giant deal we attempt to make it a foul is a foul. It’s fairly easy. I really feel like [they’re] placing an excessive amount of emphasis on guidelines — or not even guidelines, simply sure folks — to the place you take a look at it and it’s clear fouls.”
Harden additional famous that he was “for certain” the poster boy for the rule change.
For the report, although, Harden’s free throw fee of .516 is definitely considerably greater than the .439 he logged over 36 video games with the Nets final season. That equates to 7.5 FT makes an attempt per 36 minutes in comparison with 7.2/per 36 in 2020-21. So the brand new guidelines haven’t truly affected his potential to get to the road and rack up factors.
In reality, accidents and Father Time could also be responsible for the shortfall.
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