Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden came off the bench on Wednesday in his return from hamstring injury. However, in an interesting decision by head coach Steve Nash, he wasn't put in the starting line-up and came off the bench instead.
As the decision surprised some, Harden couldn't help but giggle. After all, as he reminded everyone, playing the Sixth Man role is no longer new to him since he even won the award for that when he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“That sixth man role, I've mastered that as well. I've gotten an award for that role,” the Nets star said, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Oh how quickly we forget! James Harden won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2012, and right after that season, he has blossomed into a true superstar when the Thunder traded him to the Houston Rockets. Way before he became a perennial MVP contender, he was a backup to the star duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
It has undoubtedly been long since Harden took a step back and not be the sole leader and face of the team. With the Nets, however, he now has a couple of teammates in KD and Kyrie Irving who could take some load off his shoulders.
With the talent the Nets have, letting Harden come off the bench as he gets his body to game conditioning is certainly not bad at all. Besides, that decision paid off big time against the San Antonio Spurs, with Harden finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and two blocks in 25 minutes of action.
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