One of the biggest issues facing the Brooklyn Nets when it acquired James Harden through exchange earlier this season involved the distribution of balls. With three scorers in Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who would have the ball in their hands to start the attack? Well, it looks like the Nets have found an answer to that question. During a training session earlier this week, Harden and Irving had a conversation to define their roles, and it was decided that Harden would serve as the team’s de facto guard, while Irving would play off the ball in a kick-off role.
“We established that maybe four days ago,” said Irving after Brooklyn defeated the Golden State Warriors 134-117 on Saturday night, via ESPN. “I just looked at him and said, ‘You are the point guard and I will play as point guard.’ That was as simple as that. It is not a mystical conversation that we had.
“He’s taking control of the responsibilities and doing an incredible job,” added Irving of Harden. “It makes my job easier to just go out and play for free and just make moves.”
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The decision was right, as Harden has more experience when it comes to making moves for others. Even though he is known as one of the league’s top scorers, Harden is also an excellent assistant. He led the league in assists per game as a member of the Houston Rockets during the 2016-17 season and is leading the league again so far with 11.2 coins per performance. In fact, his open acceptance of a facilitator role with the Nets took Brooklyn’s attack to historic levels earlier in the season.
Harden may be a three-time champion of goals, but in Brooklyn he allowed his score to be in the background for the general good of the team. With the Nets, Harden averages 23.0 points per game – a considerable drop from the past three seasons in Houston, when he averaged 34.3, 36.1 and 30.4 points per performance. The 14.6 field goal attempts per game he is making on average with the Nets is his lowest production since his last season in Oklahoma City in 2011-12.
“I just want to go in and feel what’s going on,” said Harden after the Nets’ victory over the Heat in late January. “Obviously, I could be more aggressive in attack, but we have more than enough scorers and guys who can put the ball in the basket. I just have to choose my points, which I feel I’m doing well. , achieving our goals by finishing in the ring and just trying to be solid defensively is what I’m trying to do. “
Harden also said something similar on Saturday night.
“I came to this team knowing that they have two special scorers on this team,” said Harden after the victory over the Warriors. “Obviously, I score when I need to, but while I’m getting everyone involved and Ky making the shots he wants, KD is getting the shots he wants, it’s very efficient. Offensively is not the problem for us; we can score in groups. It’s defensively . It looks like we’ve been picking up a pace recently. We just have to keep it going. “
The Nets seem to have things planned on the offensive side, but as Harden said, they need to do the same defensively, as their team’s defense has been quite porous during the current campaign. In the season, they have the defense of the 25th placed in the NBA, which is not enough for a team with legitimate aspirations to the championship. Just as they had an offensive conversation to resolve things, perhaps the same approach will work for them when it comes across the room.