James Harden – from points monster to assist machine
What were you doing, NBA fans, when you first heard about James Harden being traded? We all remember that moment vividly, the monster 4-team deal that sent basically everyone on the Nets not named Durant or Irving (I said basically not literally) to new locations. Everyone has been talking about the deal, but what few have been talking about is Harden’s transition from upwards of 30 a night and few assists to 20 a night and 10 assists. If you want more proof he is an assist titan, he is highest in the league in assists, and furthermore, the only player averaging 10 or more assists per game, with only Trae Young and Luka Doncic coming close to that mark, with 9.5 and 9.3 per game respectively. But how and why did Harden make this transition?
2 people: Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant. Those are the only 2 people who had any influence on that, excluding Harden of course. Harden probably thought to himself that if this big 3 was to be successful, he was going to have to sacrifice his 30 a game numbers for Kyrie and KD. Little did anyone know how well it would actually turn out for them. Despite losses here and there, the Nets have put on a show since the addition of Harden, I have certainly enjoyed watching them when I have watched them, and I have noticed that Harden rarely passes outside of Irving & Durant. He gets around 1-2 assists to the rest of the team, and 9-10 are to the rest of the big three.
Is it fair? Probably not. Does it work? Oh yeah. The Nets are 3rd in the east, and 3.5 games back from the leaders 76ers, to whom they have 1 game in hand, and have 2 in hand on the 2nd place Bucks. The nets are a force to be reckoned with, and they may not stop. I’m Jim James, and see you next time!