In 9 seasons, James Harden led the Houston Rockets to admirable success in the West. He was their star, leader, and offensive orchestrator. He had the ball in his hands.
When he was traded to Brooklyn last month, it came with a lot of doubt that he’d be able to appropriately adjust his offensive game.
But, just a few games in, and it seems the team is welcoming Harden’s skill set and what he brings to the table. Following Brooklyn’s 134-117 victory against the Warriors, in which the Beard had 16 assists, Kyrie Irving apparently handed him the reigns as the floor general.
Kyrie Irving says James Harden is the point guard of the Nets:
"I just looked at him and said 'you're the point guard, and I'm gonna play shooting guard.'" pic.twitter.com/VQlHuVI7Bh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 14, 2021
Obviously, Harden has always been a world-class distributor. After being the main ball handler for almost a decade, he had plenty of opportunities to master that art.
But, most importantly, Kyrie seems to be willing to let Harden do his thing. For a team with so many moving parts, and stars who still need to figure out how to work together, that’s exactly the thing you want to hear.
