This is no longer a small sample size, a handful of games that can be excused as an anomaly. It’s been 25 games, nearly an entire third of the season, in which James Harden hasn’t played quite like James Harden.
Maybe, for this year at least, this is who he is. A good, but not great, player. A clear No. 2 to Kevin Durant, instead of a Nets co-star.
Across the board, Harden’s numbers are down. He’s scoring less and shooting a worse percentage. He’s distributing at a lower rate and committing more turnovers. The nine-time All-Star is scoring 20.9 points per game, which would be his lowest since the 2011-12 season when he was still with the Thunder. His 40.1 field-goal percentage and 34.6 mark on 3-pointers would be the worst of his 13-year career.
It’s not the result of the NBA’s new rule changes to limit foul calls — Harden is averaging slightly more free-throw attempts this season than last season and even making more of them too.
Perhaps the best example of this version of Harden was on display in Wednesday night’s loss to the Rockets. The Nets were shorthanded, as they rested Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge for the back end of a back-to-back on the road. They needed Harden’s best. But he could only muster a 4-for-16 shooting performance and eight assists, although he did finish with 25 points.
“I got the shots I wanted for sure, I just didn’t make them,” he said following the game. Harden later added, when asked about a fourth-quarter run that came up short: “It’s just a couple lapses by myself, a couple missed shots by myself that just didn’t go in that I feel like it could be better [if I made them]. Obviously, if I make those shots, it’s a different ballgame.”
He made similar comments after last Saturday’s loss to the Bulls, faulting himself for that defeat and his inability to finish at the rim.
Last season, the Nets were 29-7 with Harden in the lineup. This season, they are 17-8. And keep in mind, when Harden was the lone star on the floor last season, they were 4-2 and he averaged 33.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 11.1 assists. If anything, he thrived in those situations.
That’s not to fault Harden entirely for the loss to the Rockets, or the Nets’ struggles against elite teams. Kyrie Irving’s season-long absence due to his refusal to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates and Joe Harris’ ankle injury are clear factors. It’s a new team that is still taking time to mesh. But the hope was Harden would elevate his play, and not see a decline in performance.
At age 32, he is averaging 36.0 minutes per game and has played in all 25 contests. The Nets may rest him Friday against the Hawks as this four-game road trip continues in Atlanta. Perhaps, a break would help him. The return of Nic Claxton may also prove to be a significant addition, as Harden has lacked the leaping big man to throw lobs to, as he had with Clint Capela with the Rockets.
Whatever the reason for his struggles, as the new year nears, Harden has not resembled the player who ignited the Nets a season ago.