Should Brooklyn Nets sound the alarm as James Harden continues to struggle?
The Brooklyn Nets currently hold the best record (17-8) in the Eastern Conference, but the season has gone anything but according to plan.
First, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving has been unavailable due to his vaccination status, which means $34 million in cap space has been rendered useless.
Then there is the other $47 million conundrum that the Nets have on their hands: James Harden.
Harden's counting stats of 20.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.6 assists tell the story of a player who appears to still be playing at an All-Star level. But those numbers don't tell the whole story.
"The Beard" is shooting just 40.1% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range, which both currently serve as career lows for the 13-year superstar.
His 20.9 scoring average would also be the lowest since his third season in the NBA, the last season that he wasn't named an All-Star.
Harden's inefficiency and struggles when it comes to scoring were at the forefront once again in a 114-104 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. He shot just 4-for-16 from the field and 3-for-12 from 3-point range.
At this point, Nick Wright believes this is not just an extended cold streak for Harden through the first 25 games but also a legitimate cause for concern.
He went into further detail on "First Things First."
"This is a big deal because it has been a continuation of what has been the worst season of James Harden's career since he became a Houston Rocket," Wright said. "He plays lazy basketball right now. He doesn't take any 2s, he settles for too many 3s, and he turns the ball over."
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The Brooklyn Nets took on the Houston Rockets without Kevin Durant, and James Harden was anything but spectacular against his former team. Nick Wright shares his biggest takeaways from the game and why Harden's struggles without K.D. are a big deal.
Chris Broussard pointed out how Harden's production has been All-Star worthy but far from the MVP level he displayed during nearly his entire tenure in Houston, which is what the Nets need in Irving's absence.
"That would be great if you had [Kevin] Durant giving you 28 and Kyrie [Irving] giving you 26," Broussard said. "But without Kyrie Irving, I need James Harden to give me 25, 26 points a night."
Harden's shooting hasn't been the only struggle for him this season.
Although he is second in the NBA in assists, he also leads the league with 124 turnovers so far this season, an average of 4.9 per game.
While Harden is not playing up to the standards he has set for himself throughout his career so far this season, Kevin Wildes doesn't think it is as simple as Harden falling off a cliff.
Wildes believes Harden's hamstring issues from last season have hindered his effectiveness and impacted his game for the worse.
"This started with that hamstring injury in March, and here's what happened," Wildes said. "He had a hamstring injury, came back, couldn't condition, so now conditioning is off. Then what happens? Lack of explosiveness, then you can't get separation, you can't get to the basket. He doesn't get foul calls, he can't get into rhythm, and that affects the chemistry of the team."
With the NBA season reaching its quarter mark and teams and players finding themselves in a rhythm, it's imperative that Harden returns to form as the calendar hits 2022 if Brooklyn hopes to win a title with Irving out of the mix.
In other words, it's time for "The Beard" to begin shaving up defenses the way he did for nearly a decade.