During his time with the Houston Rockets, James Harden was known as one of the best scorers in the league. After all, he broke multiple scoring records as well as getting the scoring title 3 times.
However, when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden adjusted his playstyle to be more of a playmaker, due to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant being on the roster. However, with Kyrie Irving out for the season as of right now, James Harden has had to become more of a high-usage scorer for the team.
There have been mixed results on that so far. While he has still been the de-facto point guard for the team and created opportunities with his playmaking, James Harden’s scoring has been fairly inconsistent. Some have attributed that to the foul rule changes, though it’s unlikely that Harden simply lost his scoring ability due to one rule change.
Most recently, James Harden has popped off for a 39 point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans. While the Pelicans aren’t exactly a good defense, dropping 39 in any game is not an easy feat. After his performance, James Harden boldly declared that he knows that he can still score.
"I can score, I know that."
-James Harden
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) November 13, 2021
“I can score, I know that.”
There is no doubt that James Harden still has the ability to score, even if he is more of a playmaking guard these days. We will likely see more explosions like this from him in the future. The Brooklyn Nets need him to be the No. 2 for Kevin Durant in terms of scoring.
Previously, James Harden declared that he couldn’t get back to “30s and 40s in points” because he was rehabbing all summer. However, he has been getting back to scoring ways, and hopefully, we continue to see him succeed in that area.
