James Harden, is this really you? This high-performance individual thatâs made an explosive start with the Brooklyn Nets – is it the old you, the new you, or the new iteration of the old you? And what about that previous version of you, the disruptive, dejected, unmotivated guy who left the Houston Rockets in tatters? Is he gone, or is he in temporary hiding, waiting to resurface when things get difficult? Harden, and the way he handled his departure from Houston and the resulting shift eastwards, spawned so many questions and no small measure of resentment from those he left behind. Yet the beginning to his new beginning has been a source of wonder, with a 32-point, triple-double in his first outing against the Orlando Magic followed on Monday by a 34-point, 12-assist night as Brooklyn outlasted Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks â the Eastern Conferenceâs regular season dominators – 125-123.  Thatâs the kind of productivity the Nets were banking on when they sent their entire draft future Texas-bound, in exchange for the leagueâs leading scorer from the past three seasons. And yes, that really was Harden hustling and putting his body on the line for an offensive rebound. Him too, scurrying to collect a loose ball by the baseline and somehow keeping it inbounds by throwing it between Brook Lopezâs legs. And him moving with his typical grace and playing 41 minutes, despite, letâs be honest, putting on a few pounds since the end of last season. âIt was an easy transition, especially with James handling the ball a lot coming in,â Kevin Durant told reporters after the Nets won their fourth straight to move to 9-6. âWe’re still trying to find our way and we’ve got room to improve, but it’s a solid start.â  Durant sounded like someone who expected this to happen, for them to click so neatly and so quickly. Many didnât expect it. Through his struggles in Houston, it looked like Harden had lost his way and that things had reached a point where nothing could keep him happy. Time will tell how things unfold with the Nets, but the start couldnât have been better. The next step in the process is the impending return of Kyrie Irving from an absence originally listed as being for personal reasons and which has now stretched to seven games. Having Brooklynâs Big Three playing together will provide a litmus test in itself, but Harden, at least, appears comfortable in not being the sole focal point of the offense as he was with the Rockets. âWe were young,â Harden said, reminiscing of his time with Durant (and Russell Westbrook) in Oklahoma City. âWe are grown men now. We know what we want. We really know the game of basketball. We are not those young guys that want to run around and just shoot and dunk all day. I sit back and I know what a player Kevin Durant is. He’s one of the best to ever touch a basketball.â  It could be that this is the best kind of spot for Harden, where he is alongside at least one individual he thinks might be as good or better than him. The Rockets were never shy to anoint him a star in every way, catering to his every whim and moving on from whoeverâs face didnât fit in the moment, from Dwight Howard to Chris Paul to, eventually, Westbrook. With a moderate schedule ahead, the Nets have every chance of building some momentum. Their opponents, meanwhile, must figure out how to control an offensive duo â now trio â that have so many powerful options at their disposal. âA combination like Durant and Harden breaks normal rules and defenses alike,â wrote Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. âHow do you stop two players who can score as comfortably from 30 feet as they can at the rim?â Doubts about Brooklynâs ability to compete for the ultimate prize at the end of the season hinge upon their defensive limitations. On Monday, DeAndre Jordan was given the responsibility of marking Antetokounmpo â no prizes for guessing how that played out.  On First Things First, FS1âs Nick Wright pointed out how poor Brooklynâs defense looked in the closing moments against the Bucks, despite the win. âWhen you have a star-studded crowd, when itâs on national television, when itâs on MLK Day, when youâre playing the previous favorites in the East, if there was ever a night when you might want to show the world (you) have the ability to lock down defensively, youâd have thought last night would be that night,â Wright said. âYou cannot win this way.â Things have just gotten started but the Nets are winning right now and theyâve got several months left before they really need to work it out. When the Harden trade happened, there were some major questions that looked a long way from being answered. Not so much now. The Nets arenât a finished product, but in these early moments, they look like theyâre close to being as advertised, an imposing offensive force that can score on anyone and will ride those talents as far as they can go. The experiment, for now, is working.  Hereâs what others have said … Michael Shapiro, Sports Illustrated: âThe whole ‘thereâs only one ball’ conversation in Brooklyn has quickly proven to be absurd through the first two games of the Durant-Harden era. Perhaps those parroting such discourse werenât paying attention in recent years, but Harden is one of the most brilliant passers of his era. Heâs a pinpoint lob passer with creative vision in the pick-and-roll, even winning the assist title in 2016â17. Even when Irving returns, donât expect a tug-of-war to ensue. Brooklynâs offense should continue to cruise throughout the season, potentially carrying the Nets to the Finals in a competitive Eastern Conference.â Chris Broussard, First Things First: âThe Brooklyn Nets are indeed the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have three unstoppable scorers. Period. When all else fails, any one of those guys can either get their shot or draw a double-or-triple team and somebody is getting an open shot, and theyâve got shooters.â Mike Vaccaro, New York Post: âWhatâs apparent, two games into this grand experiment, the Harden-Durant reunion that was so appealing to both men is real and itâs legitimate, even after eight-plus years of separation.â |
 âNever worry about criticism from the misinformed.â â Adolph Rupp |
