The Brooklyn Nets swung for the fences, choosing to trade most of their bench and draft capital to acquire James Harden from the Houston Rockets, put him alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and form one of the greatest offensive trios in NBA history. Brooklyn has gone 8-6 since the trade, but all three haven’t always been active at the same time.
Harden might not be scoring as much as he did in Houston, as evidenced by his 23.3 points per game average, but he’s leading the NBA in assists, having averaged an eye-popping 11.3 per game since he ended up in Brooklyn. This ability to keep the ball moving and make incisive passes has the offense humming along.
Harden is still providing Steve Nash with his trademark blend of clutch scoring and tremendous passing. No player has scored more points in the clutch than The Beard has this season, and his presence has clearly rubbed off on other Nets. The team is 4-1 when all three stars are playing together.
While the presence of another ball-dominant player could’ve been catastrophic for the Brooklyn, these three players have actually seen their productivity increase.
These three Brooklyn Nets have played better alongside James Harden.
3. Bruce Brown
While Brown, who was acquired for Dzanan Musa in a lopsided deal, averaged just under nine points per game with the Detroit Pistons, the Nets didn’t acquire the 6-foot-4 guard for his offense. Still, thanks to Harden attracting a ton of defensive attention, Brown has been able to score at a very efficient clip.
He’s averaging 6.8 points per game and 4.7 boards per game on 58% shooting since Harden’s debut against the Orlando Magic. While not a tremendous shooter, the opposing defense hanging out near the perimeter has allowed Brown to get some uncontested looks when cutting to the basket.
Brown can focus on the defensive end thanks to Harden.
The former Miami Hurricane struggled to get on the court early in the season, but he’s since become an indispensable member of the lineup because of his ability to guard several different positions on the defensive side of the ball and finish on offense without requiring a lot of touches.
While Brooklyn’s bench has been the subject of constant irritation this season, Brown has been one of the few that has stepped up and proven he can be a quality role player on this team. If not for the Harden trade forcing him into the rotation, Brown might’ve spent the last few games twiddling his thumbs on the bench.
2. Joe Harris
The Nets could’ve let Harris go in free agency, but they chose to bring him back on a four-year contract because they value what he brings to the team on both sides of the floor. Harris’ 14.8 points per game are right on par with what he’s been averaging over the last few years, but his efficiency has taken a leap after the Harden deal.
Harris is making 52% of his shots since the Harden trade, all the while hitting almost 49% of his 3-point attempts despite attempting just under eight per game. When one of their three stars has an off night, Harris can be relied on to nail a few shots from deep and get the offense back on the right track.
Joe Harris is showing he’s one of the best shooters in the game.
A former 3-point shootout champion and league leader in 3-point percentage, Harris’ abilities from beyond the arc are well-known around the league. However, Harris is starting to show that he’s a complete offensive player that can create his own shot, a skill that has been accentuated by Harden taking some of the pressure off of him.
Harris might not be the greatest defender in the world, but his shooting is by no means redundant just because of the stars he’s playing alongside. Without a reliable fourth option like Harris on this team, Brooklyn’s championship potential would shrink noticeably.
1. Kevin Durant
As improbable as it sounds, Durant, who has thrust himself back into the MVP conversation, is actually scoring at a higher clip since Harden arrived in town. His latest hot streak has him putting the ball in the basket at a rate that we haven’t seen since he was consistently winning scoring titles in Oklahoma City.
If you remove that weird night against the Raptors, Durant is averaging 32.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists since the Harden trade. Durant isn’t just chucking the ball up aimlessly — his averages of 53% shooting from the floor and 44% from three are astonishing for a player scoring that much every night.
Kevin Durant has been lights out after the James Harden trade.
What makes Durant such a lethal scorer is the fact that he can put up tremendous numbers while remaining efficient and not demanding the ball in his hands. Harden running the point and offense allows Durant to move without the ball and get switched onto an inferior defender, which has helped his scoring explode.
While this new-look lineup is never going to be the mid-2000s Pistons on the defensive end, adding Harden has made this team much stronger. These three all starting to hit their stride has the Nets in prime position to take one of the top two seeds in the East away from Philadelphia or Milwaukee.