LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills stepping up while James Harden figures out role
By Aaron Notis
The expectations for the Brooklyn Nets this season are at an all-time high. However, without elite scorer Kyrie Irving as well as the new rule change with fouls, James Harden has struggled out the gate to figure out his role on this team. The calls aren’t coming as they have in years past and Harden has struggled offensively both with and without Kevin Durant on the floor.
Luckily for the Nets, LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills are here to save the day.
Aldridge shouldn’t be as good as he is, coming out of a health issue that forced him to retire in the middle of last season. Now, he’s gone from bench spark plug to the third star in the starting lineup. His signature mid-range jumper gives the Nets another piece for defenses to shift their attention to, which creates more space for Durant and Harden.
He’s playing a big role in an offense currently ranked fourth in the NBA in adjusted ShotQuality. Aldridge creates 1.27 passing points per game and gives the offense another distributor. As the Nets have endured Nic Claxton’s absence due to illness, Aldridge has provided size and offensive ability more than anybody could’ve imagined.
In the backcourt, with the recent news of Joe Harris’s ankle surgery, Mills has become the Nets go-to spot-up shooter. It looks like he’s playing for Australia — he’s just having fun. As a natural point guard, he’s such a threat with the ball in his hands. His efficiency shooting the three creates so many driving lanes, and he always makes the right decision with the ball in his hands. It’s exactly what the Nets tried to do starting Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie together.
Harden and Mills have the ability to play off each other and create for others, and it opens up opportunities for the rest of the Nets offense.
Harden is an all-world talent, a future Hall of Famer, and a terrific Brooklyn Net. The struggles were inevitable, and they are only going to make the Nets stronger. After a fantastic game against the Knicks, Harden seems to be turning the corner and finding his place on this roster … all thanks to the assistance he’s getting from a couple of starters who were initially expected to be carrying the second unit.
