The MVP of the night: James Harden in his works

James Harden is quietly making his place in the Nets’ fiery attack, alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. His match of the night was a new demonstration of ease from the ex Rocket, like a fish in water on the Atlanta floor, bringing out the best of his game, between creation, finish, all while involving his teammates with his share of caviar, as he summed it up in one sentence at the end of the meeting.

“Be aggressive from the start of the game, whether it’s going to the circle, finding my shot or creating opportunities for my teammates, who we trust the most to put their shots.” In numbers, that gives 31 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a very clean 5 of 9 3-point.

The demonstration started in the second quarter with three 3-point stepbacks in three minutes to heat up and create more space for him and his teammates. It was then with the pass that James Harden distinguished himself, again with a certain sense of show, like his alley-oops for Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan or his pick-and-roll with Jeff Green who broke a big tomar at the start of the fourth quarter.

NBA’s top passer

As Atlanta did better than resist, the Brooklyn ‘Big Three’ had to do their bit, and James Harden did his part, getting two points closer to the circle, two throws, then finding Jeff Green. in traffic just before overtime (116-116). Five additional minutes which allowed him to consolidate his successful match with two new services for Jeff Green and the two throws of the victory.

“He’s like that and we want him to blend into this group, not so much by thinking about how he might fit in, but just being himself.” We want him to continue to progress ”, said Kyrie Irving, delighted to see such a creator evolve alongside him after the meeting.

James Harden is indeed distinguished since his arrival in Brooklyn by his quality of pass. Even if he was already a good passer with Houston, he already turns to 11.3 assists on average, or 68 caviars over 6 games. As a reminder, his record in the field over one season dates back to 2016/17 (11.2). Not surprisingly, he is also the best passer in the NBA, a trophy he has already won in 2017.

A characteristic that also demonstrates a completely different mindset from his last outings with the Rockets. Even in the speech, James Harden wants to be more selfless, praising his teammates for their defense in important moments.

“When we needed stops, we managed to get them, especially this team in the fourth quarter with Bruce (Brown), Joe (Harris), Jeff (Green) and TLC (Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot) who does an amazing job playing hard, taking rebounds and building energy. It was the turning point “, he added after the game, recalling that the Nets were going to need the contribution of everyone to succeed.