By the time he arrived in Brooklyn, everyone was wondering if James Harden was going to be in measured to share the ball with his teammates. The answer is obviously “yes”, but the Bearded Man is now accused of being too altruistic … He spoke about his current situation and his new role.
The question of the integration of James Harden in Brooklyn was one of the big fears raised by observers after the officialization of his trade. At the same time in recent years, the Bearded Man was regularly in the caricature, carrying the ball for 22 seconds, before shooting or making a pass he hoped would be decisive …
Except that such a stereotypical style of play cannot work in a team made up of Kevin Durant, one of, if not the best player on the planet, and Kyrie Irving, a ball handler who has no equal in the league. One of the 3 had to sacrifice himself, and it was very difficult to predict which one would.
But after several encounters, it’s pretty clear that James Harden is the one playing a distributor role for his two teammates, not his role as an unstoppable striker. A situation that frustrates him? Not especially, as he explained after the victory against the Heat on Monday (98-85).
I was in the same role for 8 years, I controlled the ball, I monopolized the ball sometimes. Now I have a different experience, but it’s just as good. In the end, it’s still basketball. I’m lucky to be able to do more than one thing on the pitch. So I find that cool.
Proof that he enjoys his new role as facilitator, the Bearded Man did not force against the Heat, even though the other two All-Stars were lacking in skill. He preferred to blacken the stats sheet with 20 points (7/10 shooting, including 3/5 3 points), 8 assists, and 4 rebounds… We are far from the 17 shots taken by Kyrie and the 21 taken by KD!
If her attitude is commendable, she can be detrimental to her team at times. Used as a pure leader when the substitutes are on the floor, the Bearded man remains too tender, and refuses to play for him, even when the Nets bench struggles to find the target … To choose between a step back from Harden, and a possession of Reggie Perry, Brooklyn fans must all prefer the first solution, even in case of failure …
Failing to hit offensively, James Harden shows that he can make others play. It remains to erase some avoidable ball losses, and the Bearded Man will be the perfect managerial leader!
