On a Brooklyn Nets team that featured the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving heading into the season, it has been new acquisition James Harden that might have the best shot of winning the MVP award out of all three of them.
Harden, who was acquired from the Houston Rockets in exchange for most of Brooklyn’s young talent and control of their draft for most of the next decade, has done everything the Nets have hoped he would’ve, and then some.
Harden has assumed the role of primary point guard and the focal point of the offense without Durant in the lineup, with Irving moving over to shooting guard. The switch has brought about some incredible results for the Nets, as Brooklyn has won 10 of their last 12 games.
While the likes of Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and the ageless LeBron James will be in the thick of the MVP voting this year, Harden has taken advantage of Durant’s absence, using it to vault himself into the MVP discussion.
Brooklyn Nets star James Harden is absolutely in the MVP discussion
No. 3: Harden is contributing in a variety of ways
Harden was always a threat to tally a triple-double every night with the Rockets, and that skill has not abated after coming to the Nets. Since he was traded to Brooklyn, Harden has recorded eight triple-doubles in just 23 games, which already ranks second in franchise history behind Jason Kidd.
Harden is still scoring, but the lack of depth Brooklyn ran into thanks to the trade meant that he would need to take an advanced role in all other aspects of the game. Harden has taken to that role like a duck to water, quickly becoming indispensable to the Nets’ style on both ends of the floor.
James Harden is doing it all for the Nets
Harden is leading the team in rebounds and assists, all the while playing some excellent perimeter defense. In a Houston offense where he was asked to score first and not bother playing defense second, Harden’s ability to lock down on that end was often overlooked.
While Brooklyn is still by no means the 2003-04 Pistons on the defensive end, the Nets are starting to play passable defense, even amid a West Coast stretch in which the Nets were tested against the best teams in the conference. Harden is proving with Brooklyn that even when he isn’t scoring 40 a night, he can contribute to a winner.
No. 2: Harden is both scoring and distributing the basketball
The gaudy scoring totals will always grab anyone’s attention, but Harden did once lead the league in assists with the Rockets, and the decline in passing production came from sharing the floor with two other ball-dominant passers in Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
With Kyrie willingly giving Harden the point guard job, both of them have flourished in their new roles. While Irving is averaging 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game since Brooklyn’s win against the Indiana Pacers in mid-February, Harden has raced out the league’s assist lead, averaging 11.4 per game with the Nets and 11.1 overall.
Nets star James Harden is one of the game’s best passers
What really stands out in regard to Brooklyn’s offense is how lethal their half-court sets have been and how frequently they turn the pick-and-roll into points. It doesn’t take the sharpest of NBA minds to see that Harden has positively impacted the offense due to his elite shot-making ability and keen passing vision.
With Harden not shooting at the volume that made him so dominant in Houston, he needed to add some more dimensions to his game in order to make a run at MVP. Harden has done exactly that with the Nets this year, and a league assists title might be enough to get him some consideration for the game’s top individual prize.
No. 1: Harden is winning without Kevin Durant
Durant has been as good as advertised this season, but he has only managed 19 games due to injuries, COVID-19 protocols, and load management. The Harden-Irving duo leading the way got off to a rocky start, but this recent run of form has cemented this combination as one of the most unguardable in the entire league.
Since the win against the Golden State Warriors, Harden is almost averaging a triple-double, posting 29.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game. Harden is doing so while shooting the ball at a much more efficient rate than the scattergun approach to offense that won him an MVP in Houston.
New Nets face-of-the-franchise James Harden is showing how valuable he is
When Irving is in the game, Harden is more than happy to oftentimes play a supporting role to Kyrie, allowing his mesmerizing handles to get Brooklyn some easy points. When Irving sits and Harden stays in, he goes back to his Houston days, using his lethal jumper and penetration skills to pile up the baskets in a hurry.
There is no doubt that Harden missing time would be a death knell for the Nets, as they have molded their entire philosophy on both ends of the floor around what he is able to bring to the party. If the Nets keep challenging for the best record in the East, he might have a legit case for the MVP award.