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James Harden has long been dominating the league with his eye-popping individual numbers which have already led him to an NBA MVP win in 2018 and a bevy of All-Star appearances. After several failed postseason runs with the Houston Rockets, Harden eventually decided to jump ship by forcing a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
The 31-year-old guard's arrival in New York meant that he will have to sacrifice his individual numbers in exchange for team success. In Brooklyn, Harden doesn't have to score 30 -40 points a night as both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both capable of producing high-scoring outputs for the team as well.
Finding himself in a new squad with a different dynamic, James Harden took the challenge and shifted to be a more all-around performer in order to make things work between three ball-dominant players. Their latest game against the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday night showed Harden's willingness to take on a new role for the team.
James Harden handled the playmaking duties for the Nets as he concluded the game with a triple-double performance of 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists. On the other hand, Irving took the majority of the scoring load as he produced a season-high 39 points, including eight straight to power the Nets over the Clippers in the final frame.
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Meanwhile, Durant was his usual self as he scored 28 points and nine rebounds for the Brooklyn-based squad. The players' willingness to accept their respective roles played a crucial part in their 124-120 victory against a contending squad in the Clippers.
Through nine games played with the Nets, Harden has averaged 24.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 12.0 assists. Irving is recording 28.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 15 appearances. Lastly, Durant is tallying 30.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 17 contests.
After assessing their first few games as a newly-formed trio, it was clear that someone really needed to take a backseat in order for them to win games. Even LeBron James' Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers squads had a clear hierarchy to their big three. Dwyane Wades and Kyrie Irving's willingness to be the second option on offense became a key component to the success that those championship teams managed to attain.
At the end of the day, James Harden, Durant, and Irving will need to sacrifice a chunk of their usual usage rates in order to make their combination work. Their individual numbers may potentially see a dip but winning a championship by the end of the season will make all their sacrifices well worth it.
