Brooklyn Nets star James Harden returned to the lineup Tuesday night in a 121-111 loss to the league-best Phoenix Suns. This came after Harden missed the Nets' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday due to a right hand injury.

Harden plans to play in the second of a back-to-back set on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, but he also made a rather stunning admission about the hand injury that kept him out of the Warriors game, per ClutchPoints' Dave Early:

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The injury is to Harden's right hand, so it's not his shooting hand, but that's still a troubling admission as the Nets continue to scuffle through a trying season. Kevin Durant is still out for a bit because of a knee injury, while Kyrie Irving remains a part-time player because of his COVID-19 vaccination status. Harden now dealing with a hand injury after working his way back into shape earlier this season is problematic.

Harden put up a decent stat line of 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in the loss to the Suns, but he shot just 6-of-19 from the field. Brooklyn has lost five games in a row to drop back to 29-21 on the season, which has them in sixth place in an Eastern Conference playoff picture that's ridiculously crowded at the top. There's going to be a lot of jockeying for position over the next few months.

For the season, Harden is averaging 22.9 points, 10.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds, but his shooting percentages of 41.7% overall and 33.8% from 3-point range are well below his career marks. The Nets need Harden to pick up his play, and they're hoping this hand injury doesn't affect him too much moving forward.