James Harden has come a long way from his role as a sixth man with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He's gone on to become an MVP, all-star, and future first-ballot hall of famer. A player of his stature should never have to start a game from the bench anymore, right? However, in one of Harden's 80 regular-season games for the Brooklyn Nets, it happened.
Most people regard the Big 3 era in Brooklyn as one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant only won one playoff series together and played 16 games. The biggest reason it never worked out was that all three guys couldn't stay healthy at the same time. Harden was no exception.
In a game against the New York Knicks on April 5, 2021, Harden experienced tightness in his hamstring that would eventually sideline him for 18 games. He'd return to the lineup on May 12, 2021, in a home game against the San Antonio Spurs. Coming off the longest layoff of his entire career, former Nets head coach Steve Nash chose to be more conservative in Harden's minutes. After all, there were only three games left in the season, and the Nets were already a lock to make the playoffs.
Similar to what the Nets did in handling Durant's return to the lineup after an injury, the Nets chose to have Harden come off the bench too. It was the right move, but it also ended Harden's streak of 655 consecutive games as a starter.
Article Continues BelowThrust into a role he hadn't done in over a decade, Harden never skipped a beat. He missed the entire first quarter and only came off the bench with 8:06 remaining in the first half. He scored his first two points a minute later and was an integral part of the Nets' 12-point victory.
Aside from setting up his teammates who, in the game, the Nets had a total of eight players scoring at least 12 points, Harden was the closer for the Nets, scoring 10 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter. Harden ultimately finished the game with a near triple-double in only 25 minutes of action.
While this strategy was successful, Harden never came off the bench for the Nets again.
Only Game James Harden Didn’t Start (NON OKC DAYS) 🤯 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube