One of the biggest issues facing the Brooklyn Nets was when they got James Harden through a trade earlier in the season about spinning a ball. With three of Harden ‘s top players, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who would have the ball in their hands to start a foul? Well, the Nets seem to have found an answer to that question. During a practice session earlier in the week, Harden and Irving had a chat to find out their roles, and it was decided that Harden would serve as the de facto point guard of the team, while Irving would playing off the ball in a role similar to a hunting guard.
“We established that maybe four days ago now,” Irving said after Brooklyn defeated the Golden State Warriors 134-117 Saturday night, via ESPN. “I looked at him, and I said, ‘You’re the point guard, and I’m going to play a hunting guard.’ That was as simple as that, we didn’t have a secret conversation.
“He’s been taking control of the duties and doing an amazing job,” said Irving from Harden. “It just makes my job easier just to go out and play for free and just make plays.”
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The decision was wise because Harden has more experience of making plays 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 assisting every game as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 2016-17 season, and is leading the league again so far this season with 11.2 dimes per performance. Indeed, being open to an assistant position with the Nets has moved Brooklyn’s offense to historic levels early in the season.
Harden may be a three-time scoring champion, but in Brooklyn he has allowed his scoring to take a back seat for the overall good of the team. With the Nets, Harden gets an average of 23.0 points per game – a big drop from Houston ‘s last three seasons when he averaged 34.3, 36.1, and 30.4 points per performance. The 14.6 attempts for field goals per game he averages with the Nets is his lowest result since his last season at Oklahoma City in 2011-12.
“I just want to come in and get a feel for what’s going on,” Harden said after the Nets’ impact on the heat in late January. “Of course, I could be more offensively offensive. , but we have more than enough scorers and boys who can put the ball in the basket. I just have to pick and choose my spots, which I feel like I’m doing okay. But making it easy is trying to get guys shots, getting our bigs finishing at the edge, and just trying to be strong defensive. “
Harden said something like that Saturday night, too.
“I came to this team and I know they have two distinct scores on this team,” Harden said after their win over the Warriors. “Of course I score when I need to, but as long as and I get everyone involved and Ky gets the views he wants, KD gets the pictures he wants, it ‘s very effective. Offensively the problem is not our problem; we can score in bases. It is waterproof. We seem to be getting a rhythm so late. We have to keep it up. “
The Nets seem to have issues on the offensive end, but as Harden said, they have to do the same defensively, as their team defense has been very porous throughout the campaign. currently. On the season, they have the 25 – ranked defense in the NBA, and that is not good enough for a team with legitimate competitive aspirations. Just as they had a conversation to put things off offensively, the same approach may work for them when it comes to the other side of the floor.