Getty Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden.
The Brooklyn Nets are looking good so far as they are winners of six out of their last seven games, so they’ve found themselves in an early season groove.
Despite that early success, there have been some struggles so far by some players on the roster. James Harden, one of the key pieces for the Nets, has not looked like himself this season and he’s been hovering around 40 percent shooting for the year and is averaging under 20 points per game.
Since we’re just 12 games into the season, there’s a strong sense around the league that Harden will get things turned around, but the excuse of this being a small sample size is in danger of no longer working.
The Beard has also been adapting to the point guard position this season, so there could be some adjustments he’s still working out that haven’t allowed him to reach his previous heights. With all that said, he sent a strong message to anybody out there still doubting him with his performance against the Orlando Magic on the road.
Harden Puts Up a Triple-Double
GettyJames Harden celebrates against the Toronto Raptors.
In the win over the Magic, Harden put up another triple-double and finished with 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Perhaps the most promising stat of the night as that he made six of shots against five misses, meaning he shot 54.5 percent for the game, his second highest percentage of the season. His shooting this season has been very streaky and he’s coming off a 4-11 performance against the Bulls, so it’s nice to see him bounce back.
Of course, it came against the Magic, but Harden will take anything he can get at this point. There’s no way the Nets can win a championship without Harden, so he’ll need to get back on the right track sooner or later.
Luckily for Harden, Durant is heavily shouldering the load for the team as he’s leading the NBA in scoring and putting up eye-popping stats.
Durant is Good as Ever
Kevin Durant took 12 shots tonight. He finished with 30 points.
He’s the first Nets player to score 30+ on 90% shooting in the last 40 seasons.
KD leads the NBA with 29.5 PPG on 58.5 FG% this season.
According to StatMuse, KD is the first Nets player to score 30+ on 90 percent shooting in the last 40 seasons, a feat he accomplished last night against the Magic.
He’s also leading the league in scoring at 29.5 points per game and he’s shooting 58.5 percent from the floor, almost as if he’s an automatic bucket for the Nets.
While some members of the team might be struggling, such as Harden, Durant has proven to be a rock and he’s shown he has the skills necessary to lead the team himself, something that’s good to have in the regular season but will likely not work out in the playoffs.
By then, the team will have to hope Harden, Blake Griffin and even Nic Claxton will be ready to roll. That’s a long way from now, so it’s likely not anything people are going to think about for a while.
There’s no reason to suspect Harden will stay in his slump for long and maybe this game against the Magic is exactly what he needed to get back on the right track.
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