James Harden has had a tough start to the season, and his struggles have been highly publicized. Part of it is due to the new foul rules, which prevent players from doing “unnatural shooting motions” on perimeter shots to gain easy trips to the line. James Harden was one of the players who was well-known for mastering that technique.
Obviously, a lot of fans assumed that James Harden’s struggles were due to the new rule. However, James Harden revealed that the reason he wasn’t able to get back to the 30s and 40s in points scored is due to him rehabbing the hamstring injury that hampered his performance in the 2020-21 playoffs.
James Harden has now had two solid games in a row, scoring 29 points against the Indiana Pacers, and most recently notching a triple-double against the Detroit Pistons. It seems as though the Nets’ superstar is starting to get back in rhythm. When speaking to the media after the game, Harden stated that the “confidence” in his rhythm is coming back to him.
James Harden: "The confidence in my rhythm and all that is coming back."
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) November 1, 2021
The confidence in my rhythm and all that is coming back.
It makes sense that it would take some time for James Harden to adjust to the new rules, especially coming off an offseason that was spent rehabbing an injury. However, with their No. 2 option looking like himself again, it looks like the Brooklyn Nets are set to be a top-tier team in the Eastern Conference.
It remains to be seen whether James Harden’s good performances will continue, or whether he’ll struggle like he did at the very start of the season. However, it definitely looks as though he is finding his bearings. The Brooklyn Nets will need him to score as he did with the Houston Rockets at times, as Kyrie Irving being unable to play means Harden will have to take on a higher scoring load. James Harden certainly has the talent and ability to score, and perhaps we’ll see more explosive scoring performances from him in the future.
