Brooklyn Nets star James Harden spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time since he suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring issue.
Harden, who has not played since April 7, said he feels “really” good and believes he will suit up before the start of the playoffs, per ESPN's Malika Andrews.
James Harden, speaking to reporters for the first time since his hamstring rehab set back, says he feels "really good" and is working on conditioning, changing speed, and changing direction.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 6, 2021
James Harden says he is "very confident" he will be back before the post season. https://t.co/ZcWK2NbTXf
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 6, 2021
The Nets have played some inconsistent basketball as of late, mostly because they simply haven't had their full roster available for quite some time.
Brooklyn has lost three straight after a four-game win streak. The Nets now find themselves 2.0 games back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They would prefer to be fully healthy entering the playoffs, of course, but also would surely hope Harden can get some reps in alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant before the team embarks on its NBA Finals journey.
Harden had been playing some spectacular basketball before the hamstring started giving him some issues. He is averaging 25.4 points, 11.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds per contest in 34 games with the Nets, shooting close to 47 percent from the field and nearly 36 percent from beyond the arc.
“The Beard” carried the Nets at times this season when Brooklyn was missing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But KD and Kyrie are the ones having to shoulder the load as they await Harden's return.
This is a fairly critical juncture in Brooklyn's season. The Nets need to get in sync before they take on the rest of the Eastern Conference.
But Harden doesn't appear too concerned. He could be returning in short order.
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