In Hometown L.A., Nets Harden Sends Message That The Report Of His Demise May Have Been Premature
Back in his hometown of Los Angeles, James Harden sent a clear message to all the naysayers with a pair of virtuoso performances to lift the shorthanded Nets to victories over the similarly shorthanded Lakers and Clippers.
That message was: I’m back.
It wasn’t just the mainstream stats (37.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 12.5 assists with a 50/41/82 shooting split over the two games) that reset the narrative from “Harden is shot” back to “Be scared.” It was his aggressiveness to dominate the game (24 drives per game after averaging 15.2 drives prior to Brooklyn’s 122-115 win over the Lakers on Christmas night, per NBA.com) and the bursts through which he was able to succeed while doing it.
Harden, who suffered a pretty severe hamstring strain at the tail end of last season that hampered his effectiveness in the Nets’ second-round loss to Milwaukee in the playoffs, was unable to undertake his normal offseason training that included five-on-five runs in order to rehab for the start of this season. As such, he suffered through quite a few inconsistent efforts during the first quarter of this season, unable to build the confidence he needed to play at his previous level.
While Harden always insisted that his confidence would return when he was back in game shape, many others had doubts. The consensus concluded that at 32 and with tons of road miles on his tires, Harden’s prime years were in the rearview mirror.
That might still be true, but he is proving that his game hasn’t exactly fallen off a cliff either. There is still no one in the NBA better at orchestrating an offense and processing how best to attack opposing defenses and, now that he’s feeling better, he’s been able to unleash his full arsenal, including the ability to beat his on-ball defender with a quick first step. Previously, it seemed like it was all guile, especially when the defender played off him. These last two games, however, Harden, who had his high school jersey retired on Sunday, left many defenders eating his dust as he drove into the paint.
Blowing by the defensively-deficient Lakers, who not only were missing All Star big man Anthony Davis but also curiously opted to go small with Carmelo Anthony at center after the game’s first six minutes, might have given me some pause before reaching any conclusions about Harden and his return to elite status, but the way he manipulated the Clippers and all their junk defenses, from zones to sending multiple defenders at him to force a pass, was simply too marvelous to dismiss. He knew exactly when to attack and the precise moment to deliver the ball to an open teammate before the defense converged on him.
And before you howl that the Clips were playing without superb All-Star perimeter defenders Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, understand that Harden’s most frequent courtmates during Monday’s 124-108 beatdown included just one player (Patty Mills) who required L.A.’s attention outside the paint (Sorry, but DeAndre’ Bembry is going to have to knock down more than 12 three-pointers in 25 attempts before he is respected by opponents). Back home in Brooklyn due to injuries and the leagues’ health and safety protocols were four of its best offensive players in Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, LaMarcus Aldridge, and--now that he’s officially welcomed back but quarantining after contracting COVID-19--Kyrie Irving.
That put quite a load on Harden’s shoulders during this two-game road trip, but they are broad enough to handle it. On top of his 39 points on Monday night, Harden’s 15 assists created 35 points for his teammates, according to NBA.com. That doesn’t include all the “hockey assists” where Harden found Bembry, Bruce Brown, or Nic Claxton on the short roll and they then passed to a teammate who hit an open shot. I was flabbergasted that NBA.com, which supposedly tracks secondary assists, didn’t credit Harden, or any Net for that matter, with a single one. Trust me, there were plenty.
When the Nets, as is their wont, took their foot off the pedal in Monday’s fourth quarter, Harden was there to make all the course corrections. With Brooklyn’s 20-point lead cut in half with just over four minutes remaining, Harden was fouled as he knocked down a step-back three-pointer from the right corner and then found Mills for an open 3-ball on the next possession to push the Nets’ lead back up to 17 points. Game over.
I know that Harden will continue to frustrate some who can’t get past all the individual sequences like the stuck-in-place dribbling leading to step-back 3s, the carless turnovers, and all the plays he takes off on defense. That was always part of the equation even when he was a league MVP. However, when those occur going forward, there should be less of a concern that those errors are a signal of something larger, that his game is cratering.
Sorry to disappoint you, but Harden has still got it.