Harden confirmed after the game that he's basically being less aggressive on purpose. He's just trying to see what's happening. Give it a few weeks and whatnot and we'll probably see Harden drop 20 to 25 points with 10 assists most nights. I guess he's just trying to figure out the playstyles for each player. Don't forget, he's only been there for about 9 days, so it's going to take some time to build some chemistry. If he joined way before the season started, the Nets would be a much better team overall.
The Nets problem is the defense and turnovers and Harden with their 2nd unit scrubs don't look good, he probably should just take over. He is still probing.
They should have won by 20. They were up 10 or 15 from the word go and then they messed around and almost blew it. harden was listless and unengaged/forcing the play making to much instead of taking what was available- someone upthread nailed it exactly. harden and Kyrie are too redundant and Harden is better but taking a backseat to protect Kyrie bc he’s fragile and they’ve decided that’s the way it needs to be. It’s a bad situation right now. Doesn’t mean they can’t work it out. kyrie was good in clutch time tonight- he almost singlehandedly closed out the game.
If Durant didn't want Harden, Harden wouldn't be on that team. They're good friends. Plus, they fit well together when it's just those 2. I'm pretty certain Kyrie and Durant were friends with Harden before he joined the Nets. Harden and KD fit well together because Harden can run the point and KD can play off the ball and catch and shoot it. Kyrie can't do that role all that well. He has to be the main ball handler and shoot the ball. Kyrie isn't really a playmaker, so it's going to be harder for Harden and Kyrie to fit well together. It's pretty similar to the Wall/Harden and Westbrook/Harden partnership.
Kyrie is an elite shooter and probably the best ball handler in the league. The Westbrook pairing isn’t really similar at all. If Kyrie buys in and plays like he did tonight that’s all they need. He will still get his points but the ball will be in his hands less.
I don’t like Durant starting at PF. That’s why I said the Nets should’ve tried to get PJ Tucker in the trade with Harden. Kyrie Irving James Harden Kevin Durant PJ Tucker Deandre Jordan Would’ve been a sick lineup. Then you could’ve had Harden playing with Joe Harris & Jeff Green when Kyrie and KD go to the bench.
Nets Last 3 games ORtg 115.7, DRtg 122.2 They need couple 3 and D wings and play switch everything defense. If they can get Tucker they will be pretty much set, they can put Tucker on Lebron and Durant on AD when playing Lakers.
Harden’s days of leading the league in scoring are over. He’s going to be standing around on offense a lot while the other two do their thing. According to him, it’s nice to not have to be scoring a lot in order to win. it’s only a matter of time until three is a crowd.
Harden hasn't looked right since his injury. I also think he has declined quite a bit athletically in two seasons. He is not nearly as quick or have lifts anymore. If he can't get past his guy consistently, his scoring game kinda collapses because hes not consistent enough to just shoot lazy stepbacks. He needs to get in better shape as he is clearly aging.
I wouldn’t write him off yet. He’s still good and played well without Kyrie. He’s just uncomfortable out there right now due to trying to fit in and understand his role.
Nailed it. He thinks he is still elite which he is but Father Time is catching up. Mortal men are too arrogant.
Not enough balls to go around. Harden is the third wheel. I doubt that he cares if he gets a ring but very doubtful he stays beyond his contract
Who would’ve thought he would be the main PG. Must feel relieved not to have to score 30-40 points to win.
He played 38 minutes last night and scored 12 points. He missed all his 3's. They didn't win because of him, that's for sure. I'm glad he's gone personally. I had more fun watching our team last night than I have had in ages. I won't miss the one man show, dribble dribble dribble, ball hog big bearded man one bit.
Huh? He hasn't been playing that way for the Nets. If anything, it's proving why he mostly played that way for us. He never really had the supporting cast to help with the scoring. He had no choice but to be more selfish in his time with the Rockets. He doesn't have to do that when he has 4 decent/good 3pt shooters next to him. He's never had consistent scorers like Kyrie and KD next to him. If Harden had a better supporting cast around for 8 years, he would have passed it more than he did. Besides, he was mostly top 10 in assists most seasons for the Rockets in any case. So, it wasn't just Harden's fault why we didn't play pass and movement basketball..... because he's doing it for the Nets. Get him in the right pieces and he'll happily sacrifice his points for wins. I hate when people complain about the isolation basketball when it was mostly successful for us. We got way more wins than losses when Harden was playing that style. If he had better shooters/supporting cast around him, we probably would have won a few rings and people wouldn't have complained. It's like people don't give a crap about the results as long as we're just playing this pass and moving basketball.
