With Halloween taking place last night, several figures in the NBA dressed up in costumes to celebrate. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook all showed up in frightening costumes to celebrate one of the most fun holidays in the world.
But the Lakers weren’t the only superteam celebrating Halloween. In fact, the Brooklyn Nets paid tribute to one of their stars in a hilarious way. Kevin Durant posted a picture on his Instagram story, which shows members of the Brooklyn Nets staff dressed as James Harden, including his iconic beard.
The Nets staff was clearly having some fun, dressing up as Harden. But perhaps them dressing like him in costume served as a good luck charm, as Harden went on to put up a triple-double, breaking his poor run of form. He reacted after the game, saying that he feels like he is finding his rhythm again.
Over the first few games of the season, Harden had struggled offensively. This is primarily because of him not having enough reps after recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered in the playoffs. And because of that, his offensive numbers were way below what we’re used to seeing.
On top of that, the new NBA foul rule has severely hampered his offensive games. Prior to the rule, Harden was adept at drawing the foul and making it to the free-throw line. But right now, he is averaging 5 free throws a night, the lowest of his NBA career since his last season in OKC in 2012.
Going forward, Harden will need to get more reps in and find ways to score points. With a key weapon out of his arsenal, he will be more reliant on his scoring without fouls in order to help the Brooklyn Nets.
But if he can rediscover the offensive form we’ve seen from him before, the Nets will be the contenders they were expected to be at the start of the season.
