The Brooklyn Nets haven't looked like the NBA title contender most people viewed them as before the start of the season. They've lost three of their first five games and have a point differential of -33 in those contests. A major reason behind their struggles is the James Harden not looking like James Harden.

The Nets star is averaging just 16.6 points per game on 35.9% shooting from the field and 33.3% from deep. Many fans are worried about Harden's performance, but he took to Twitter to dish out his thoughts on his struggles.

Fans have attributed Harden's slow start to the season to the new foul interpretations the league implemented. While that could certainly be a part of his struggles (he's averaging his lowest free throw rate by a WIDE margin), fans also seem to forget that the Nets star is coming off of a quad injury he sustained last season. Harden himself admitted that his time at rehab contributed to a lack of organized basketball practice before this season.

“As much as I want to get back to 30s and 40s points, I can’t do that. As much as I want to, as much as I would love to, I didn’t have any opportunities to play pickup. It was all rehab.”

It's no wonder, then, that Harden is still in feeling-out mode and testing his limits. The Nets are hoping that Harden can regain his MVP form soon, because they'll need all of that for this season. Kyrie Irving's continued stand against the COVID-19 vaccine means that he won't be eligible to play, and so Harden needs to carry some of the point guard duties for the Nets.

Either way, once the Nets star finds his footing in the league, we are going to have some exciting games on our hands.