James Harden is part of the Brooklyn Nets after spending the last eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, where he blossomed into the big star he is right now and one of the most talented scorers in the game.
The Beard is on a team that can actually compete for the NBA championship, sharing touches with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, a huge upgrade from his teammates in Houston and the player can’t be happier about it.
The 2018 NBA MVP recently explained why he feels very comfortable in Brooklyn after his trade, revealing how easier things are right now that he has two elite scorers by his side. The Nets’ defense still needs to improve but on the offensive end, Harden couldn’t ask for more.
James Harden says he’s happy to not have to score 40 points every night
The shooting guard recently talked with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, where he talked about a variety of topics, including his last days in Houston, how high his expectations are for this season, and more. Harden explained that playing alongside Irving and Durant has made his life easier, as he doesn’t have to score 40 points every night to take his team to the victory.
“The situation that I was with in Houston, consistently, in every single night, having to get 40 points to give ourselves a chance to win for a long extended years, is draining,” Harden told Nichols.
“So, just to have a skill set of guys where you can be a playmaker, you can get guys involved and not have to necessarily worry about scoring each possession. It’s a little bit relieving to me.”
After landing in Brooklyn, Harden has taken a different role and he’s more of a facilitator rather than a scorer now. That has worked for the Nets but as stated before, they have work to do on defense if they want to actually compete for the NBA championship.