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NBA – James Harden, it grimaces under the beard: why the Nets superstar suffers since the recovery

The circus is over. The NBA wants the show on its floors but it finally seems to have tired of the pirouettes of the attackers who threw themselves in an absolutely unnatural way towards the arms of the defenders to obtain free throws. The referees have been instructed this season not to whistle any more fault on these grotesque and very often exaggerated actions. And no one suffers more from this decision than James Harden. Contrary to appearances, the main asset of the MVP’s arsenal is not his backward shooting, his explosiveness, his vista, his vision or his ease in dribbling. He certainly excels in all of these areas. But its real strength is its ability to cause faults. Constantly.

He is – along with Corey Maggette – the only player in the history of American basketball to have registered more free throws than baskets. And yet, the former MVP, three times best scorer in the championship, has scored tons, baskets. Harden is so good at knocking off his counterpart that his peers have studied him, from DeMar DeRozan to Trae Young to Luka Doncic. Except that there, it does not pass any more. The rule changes are playing tricks on him. And it’s all his game that has slowed since.

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Because when he doesn’t make it to the repair line, when he doesn’t put his opponents in the hard, he ends up with less space. Less creativity. And therefore less address. To put it simply: the All-Star rear has been out of the game since the resumption of basketball. Only 16.6 points per game, 10 points below his usual standards. He’s scored 15 points or less in the Nets’ last three outings. A first for him since… the 2011-2012 season. He was still wearing a Thunder tunic at the time, and stepped off the bench.

Obviously, with 36% success on shots and 33% behind the arc, Harden will have a hard time finding his averages. But another statistic is even more telling: 15 shots taken in 5 matches. 3 average. Against more than 10 almost every season since… 2012, just after his arrival at the Rockets and his explosion to the heights. “I think he has unfairly become the face of those faults that are no longer hissed“Says his coach, Steve Nash, who came to the player’s aid.”They [les arbitres] try so hard to be careful on this point… I think some of them are still mistakes. Especially on drives. They watch carefully when the attacker goes for the defender’s arms. Except that often these guys are not on their support, they hit him without being in a defensive position. These are mistakes!

Wednesday night, against Miami, James Harden was particularly tough. He attacked the ball-in-hand circle on one of the game’s first possessions. Came in contact with Kyle Lowry – whose support did not move – he tried to swing the ball towards the circle with one hand when he had just passed the leader of the Heat. The referees did not flinch.

I would love to be able to score 30 or 40 points but for now I can’t

Same situation and same treatment twice in the first half. With a player who eliminates his opposite but who prefers to try to cause a fault by returning to his defender by throwing his arms towards his. No whistle. And with good reason! What frustrate the man, dissatisfied after each decision. He feels affected by this new appreciation of the regulation. “I’m just telling the referees that if they see a foul, we have to blow the whistle. Sometimes I have the feeling that their decisions are already predetermined, that I am already stigmatized before the start of the match.

James Harden in a duel with Tyler Herro during the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat, October 27, 2021 in the NBA

Credit: Getty Images

By inspiring the whole league with his offensive cards, Harden is not the only one to undergo this evolution. Except that others, like Young or Stephen Curry have already adapted. The NBA resumed a week ago. The Nets have played five games. And he continues to persist. It must be said that he runs after his rhythm. Visually, the 32-year-old looks a bit out of shape. He himself does not hide it by recounting a delicate offseason after a season full of injuries. “I would love to be able to score 30 or 40 points. But for now, I can’t. I didn’t have the opportunity to play during the summer, I only did rehabilitation for three months. I have to take my time.

He can always put forward his condition and the injustice of which he would be the victim. Still, he will quickly have to raise his level of play. The Nets need him. Even more in the absence of Kyrie Irving. Because for now, the New York armada is leveling off. Only 2 successes in 5 encounters. With two losses against its main direct competitors, Milwaukee and Miami. Kevin Durant cannot constantly sublimate himself. He needs a great James Harden by his side. For now, the player and his franchise are still far from the mark.

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