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With Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden still struggling and no return date in sight for Kyrie Irving the Nets have continually struggled against the NBA’s elite teams. Against the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat, Brooklyn has lost by double digits. The Nets came into Saturday’s matchup with the red-hot Phoenix Suns hoping to change that narrative. Unfortunately for the Nets, they suffered yet another loss to a top opponent as the Suns stamped their 16th straight victory against Brooklyn with a 113-107 win. The Nets still hold the top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Joe Harris To Miss Significant Time After Ankle Surgery
As the Nets continue to struggle against good teams and their roster already scarce, Brooklyn can ill-afford to lose any of the consistent players that they have on the roster. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, that nightmare has become a reality as Nets starting shooting guard Joe Harris is scheduled to have surgery on his injured ankle on November 29 according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris is expected to miss four to eight weeks with ankle surgery, agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Surgery is addressing “a little bone particle” in ankle, Steve Nash said.
While the procedure is expected to hold the three-point marksman out for 4-8 weeks, Wojnarowski notes that the Nets are optimistic that Harris will return on the shorter end of the timeline.
There’s optimism that Harris can return to the Nets on the shorter end of that timeline.
For the Nets losing Harris is a big blow to an already depleted offense. Nets head coach Steve Nash went into detail on how the Nets plan to deal with Harris’ injury going forward.
“He is going to have a scope and then we’ll see what that means once they’ve had the procedure. We think this is a really positive thing that can put this situation behind him long term rather than risking reoccurrences or uncertainty with the injury,” Nash said of Harris’ injury on Monday per NetsDaily.
“There’s a little bone particle in there. Just the uncertainty of it, just better to take it out. We thought that it would potentially sort itself out because it’s been there, but it’s not. Hopefully, that’s the end of it.”
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Steve Nash Talks About James Harden’s Struggles
For Harden, this season has been anything but what he expected. With just about a quarter of the season in the books, he has still struggled to find any rhythm this season. On Saturday against the Suns, Harden had arguably his worst game of the season as he shot just 4-15 from the field in the loss. Nash says that while it was a tough outing for Harden, it is all a part of the growing pains of a long NBA season.
“It was a tough night for him,” said Nash on Harden’s performance per NetsDaily. “Some turnover issues and didn’t get a lot of good looks, but that’s a part of our growth too; is trying to figure out ways for him to be effective even if he’s not getting to the rim all night. Can we draw a crowd and generate offense on the second side. He can still rebound and make plays for others, but can we take advantage of those nights where he gets into the paint and it’s not all or nothing on him. That’s a part of our growth.”
As they sit atop of the Eastern Conference the Nets have proven that they are a good team. However, they are still a far cry from being mentioned amongst the NBA’s elite teams. It will be interesting to see what moves the team will make as we inch closer to the trade deadline.
READ NEXT: Trade Proposal Has Nets Ship Kyrie Irving West for All-Star 7-Footer
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Brooklyn Nets Star To Miss Significant Time With Severe Injury