SALT LAKE CITY — The Nets declare James Harden’s dip in type was about fatigue, not harm. However whether or not it’s his legs or his hand or his head, they should get it found out and get it fastened.
Since getting back from a strained proper hand, Harden has adopted a poor taking pictures effort with a fair worse one. And with shorthanded Brooklyn bringing a six-game skid into Friday’s tilt towards the Jazz — and Kyrie Irving set to be ineligible once more as soon as they return house — they want MVP Harden, not MIA Harden.
“I assumed James appeared drained. He didn’t have his legs [in Wednesday’s loss in Sacramento]. It was a type of nights,” stated Steve Nash. When requested if Harden’s hand was nonetheless nagging him, Nash replied “I don’t know, however he hasn’t talked about the hand to me.”
Harden suffered the hand harm a few weeks in the past and easily performed by it. However he aggravated it lifting and taking pictures eventually Friday’s observe, turning nothing into one thing.
The Nets departed for California, and Harden awoke in San Francisco Saturday with ache and unable to maneuver his hand. He missed just one sport, the loss at Golden State that night time. However since rejoining the lineup, he hasn’t appeared himself, with one Jap scout noting a scarcity of defensive engagement.
After the Nets shut down any speak of dealing Harden for Ben Simmons or anyone else by subsequent Thursday’s commerce deadline, the All-Star guard shot 6-for-19 total in Tuesday’s loss at Phoenix. And they'd’ve killed for that efficiency an evening later towards the sorry Kings, when he had simply 4 factors on 2-for-11 taking pictures, lacking all 5 makes an attempt from deep.
It was Harden’s lowest-scoring sport by which he logged not less than half-hour since 2014. He compounded it by committing a half-dozen turnovers, getting hit with a technical after the final one, and ending a wretched minus-21.
“It’s simply the fact that whenever you come out, some guys aren’t going to have the identical legs that they had the night time earlier than,” Irving stated.
It’s laborious to not discover Harden and Irving have lacked the identical chemistry that they had final season. And with Kevin Durant and Joe Harris seemingly out till after the All-Star break — and their NBA-long six-game skid their worst since dropping seven straight from Dec. 26, 2019-Jan. 7, 2020 — they want their stars on the identical web page.
Harden insists he by no means thinks in regards to the Large 3’s lack of time collectively, whereas Irving admits he ponders it every day. Harden says they’ve carried out an excessive amount of speaking, whereas Irving says it’s a crucial a part of their development. However most vital is on the courtroom.
Whereas the Large 3 was hardly ever collectively final season, the Nets did go a powerful 16-3 when Harden and Irving began collectively with out Durant. However this yr they haven’t been in a position to replicate that very same magic, simply 2-4.
And whereas the Large 3 is plus-15 in 32 minutes collectively this season, Harden and Irving are a minus-12 of their 172 minutes collectively with out Durant.
Why have they been so wildly inconstant?
“You realize simply nearly as good as I do,” stated Harden. “You realize we’ve simply bought quite a lot of various things internally, lineups, and we haven’t had no continuity but.”
Brooklyn is 24-12 with Durant, however simply 5-10 with out him. And the unvaccinated Irving continues to be ineligible to play in New York, which means until one thing modifications he’ll play at most eight video games after the All-Star break.
When requested if Irving’s part-time standing and Durant’s harm have pushed Brooklyn to a breaking level, Harden replied, “I don’t know. I do know we’re on a six-game dropping streak. I do know that.”
Harden might not have any thought about breaking factors, he’s fairly certain a crew assembly isn’t the reply.
“No, I believe we’ve carried out an excessive amount of speaking. We’ve bought to go on the market and do it, and do it constantly. Now we have occasions the place we’re nice, then we now have occasions the place we’re actually dangerous. And also you’ve simply bought to search out some consistency all through the course of the sport,” stated Harden, who has tried to verbally lead. “I’ve been speaking quite a bit. That’s all I do is speak.”
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