Nets offense running through Kevin Durant likely hurting James Harden

Last week, James Harden had a grand opportunity, but nothing came out of it. All eyes were on Harden as he faced off against his former team in Houston without Kevin Durant, who was getting a night off. But he shot 25% from both the field and the 3-point line as the Brooklyn Nets fell to the Rockets, 114-104.

Sure, Harden still led Brooklyn with 25 points, but that isn’t saying much because Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge sat out last Wednesday. One game wasn’t going to magically cure Harden’s struggles, but, at the very least, it could’ve helped him find a rhythm or get back on track. That didn’t happen.

On Sunday against Detroit, it was Harden’s turn to rest, the first time that he’s done so all year. The Pistons were 4-21 entering the matchup, so what better time to let him sit back and catch his breath?

KD rose to the challenge in Harden’s absence, scoring 51 points in a 116-104 win. It marked the first time that Durant has scored 50 points with the Nets since he joined the team in 2019. The offense didn’t look broken without Harden in the same way that it looks defective without KD, which might be a telling sign.

Kevin Durant is the face of the Brooklyn Nets’ offense, not James Harden.

Barring a significant change, the offense runs through KD. He’s averaging a league-high 29.6 points per game and has been this team’s clear leader. Whenever Durant isn’t on the floor, it’s noticeable.

If Harden would’ve played against the Pistons, the likelihood of KD scoring 50+ points would’ve taken a huge hit. Durant’s production isn’t expected to be that high every game, but the difference between him and Harden right now is that it can be that high when Durant is getting even more looks.

Look no further than the game against the Raptors on Tuesday as well. KD dropped a 34-point triple-double in an overtime win when the Nets had just eight players available due to a COVID scare that has seven players in the league’s health and safety protocols.

On Thursday, Durant led Brooklyn to 114-105 win over Philadelphia and scored 34 points for the second-straight game.

To put it nicely, Harden’s game has been off this season. He’s shooting 40.4% from the floor, only .1% better than his career-worst 40.3%. His 33.7% from the 3-point line is a career low for him. Harden’s 20.8 points per game are his fewest in 11 years.

Brooklyn can’t afford to not have Durant on the court, but he needs his rest. This isn’t to say that Harden isn’t important to the Nets because that’s untrue. However, right now, the offense runs through KD. His fourth-quarter outings alone have saved Brooklyn countless times in 2021, and the same cannot be said for Harden.

As of now, Harden does have a place in the Nets’ offense. He just hasn’t been able to be as effective or find consistency this year. Let’s just hope he rediscovers his form sooner than later, or else we could be talking about an offseason divorce earlier than we expected.

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