gold star for USAHOF

42. James Harden

42. James Harden

The complex history of James Harden had a brief stop in Brooklyn, where as tumultuous as he might be, “The Beard” was still one of the top performers in Basketball.

After years of All-Star seasons, all with growing frustration that his Houston Rockets could not make the Finals, Harden asked for a trade in the 2020 off-season. Eight Games into the year, Harden obtained his wish, traded to the East with the Brooklyn Nets, who formed a new “Big Three” with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The promise was there, but the results did not matriculate.

The trio were rarely on the floor together due to rotating injuries, but Harden always sparked for the Nets when he played.  An All-Star in 2021, Harden was still a potent scorer, averaging 24.4 Points per Game for Brooklyn over 36 Games.  The following year, Harden was still scoring well, with a 22.5 PPG in 44 Games, but Harden again was frustrated, and asked for a trade, with Philadelphia being his landing point.

Harden never had a full season for Brooklyn, but the game of Basketball is a star’s contest where the elite dominate. Even with under 100 Games as a Net, the numbers don’t lie, even though it was overall a failed experiment.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Shooting Guard
  • Acquired: Traded from the Houston Rockets as part of a four-team trade. Brooklyn traded Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brooklyn traded Rodions Kurucs, a 2021 1st Round Pick, a 2022 1st Round Pick, a 2023 1st Round Pick, a 2024 1st Round Pick, a 2025 1st Round Pick, a 2026 1st Round Pick and a 2027 1st Round Pick to the Houston. Brooklyn sent Caris Lavert to the Indiana Pacers. Cleveland traded a 2024 2nd Round Pick to Brooklyn. Brooklyn traded Dante Exum and a 2022 1st Round Pick to Houston. Houston sent a 2023 2nd Round Pick to the Indiana Pacers. Indiana traded Victor Oladipo to Houston. 1/13/21.
  • Departed: Traded to the Philadelphia 76ers with Paul Millsap for Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, a 2022 1st Round Pick and a 2027 1st Round Pick. 2/10/22.
  • Games Played: 80
  • Per Game Averages:

    36.8 MP
    .516 eFG%
    .863 FT%
    23.4 PTS
    8.2 RB
    10.5 AST
    1.3 STL
    0.7 BLK

    9 Playoff Games
    35.8 MP
    .583 eFG%
    .903 FT%
    20.2 PTS
    6.3 RB
    8.6 AST
    1.7 STL
    0.7 BLK

  • Advanced Stats:

    22.5 PER
    .595 TS%
    5.7 VORP
    10.4 WS

    9 Playoff Games
    23.9 PER
    .673 TS%
    0.9 VORP
    1.8 WS

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    All-Star (2021* & 2022**)

    *Harden was traded from Houston during the season.
    **Harden was traded to Philadelphia during the season.

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