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When the Brooklyn Nets pulled off a blockbuster trade to land All-Star guard James Harden in January of 2021, most people thought the next great dynasty was about to blossom. Brooklyn already had two elite talents, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, on the roster. The addition of Harden, who was coming off three straight seasons where he averaged more than 30 points per game, would only make them more lethal.
After a disappointing second-round exit in 2021, most people expected Harden and the Nets to come back stronger in 2022 with the chance to secure the first title for the franchise.
But that wasn’t the case. Harden was a shell of himself as he averaged just 21.0 points per game last season. It is his first time averaging below 25 points per game since his final year with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011-12. However, the 10-time All-Star tells Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports that he ‘wasn’t right’ last season and expects a big bounce-back year in 2023.
“I don’t really listen to what people are saying. I wasn’t right last season, and I still almost averaged a triple-double,” Harden told Yahoo Sports.
“If anybody else had those numbers, we’d be talking about them getting the max. People were used to seeing me averaging 40, 30 points, and so they viewed it as a down year. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months, and I had to learn on the fly. That’s just what it was. I’m in a good space physically and mentally right now, and I’m just looking forward to next season.”
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Harden Still Has Goal of Winning First Title
One of the driving forces behind Harden’s mid-season trade demand was his restless hunger to win a championship, something that Kyrie and KD already had done in their careers. And with the uncertainty of Kyrie’s status and Durant’s MCL injury, he didn’t feel that the Nets were in a better position to win than the Sixers were and asked for a trade to Philadelphia.
After another disappointing season without a championship, Harden is coming into the 2022-23 season, still looking to capture his first ring.
“I talk with Joel frequently and we have meetings about how we’re going to play and what we need to do to help our team win a championship,” Harden continued.
“When you have two of the top players at their positions on the same team, that’s a great building block. We’re going to grow together and try to lead this team to the top. I believe we can do it together.”
Harden Made Huge Sacrifice in Free Agency
After Harden opted out of the final year of his deal during the offseason some wondered if he had a change of heart about his future with the Sixers. But the All-NBA guard explained to Yahoo Sports that the reason for that was to give Sixers general manager Daryl Morey more cap space to work with to build a title-contending roster. A gargantuan sacrifice for a player of his caliber.
“I had conversations with Daryl, and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players. I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign, and give me whatever is left over,” Harden told Yahoo Sports.
“This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete in a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in a position to accomplish that.”
Did Harden make the right decision by choosing to walk away from the Nets? Only time will be able to answer that question.
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