5 Brooklyn Nets records that James Harden could break in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season

The Beard's numbers could are expected to go up this season without Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets roster

James Harden, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets will head into the 2021-22 NBA season without Kyrie Irving if the All-Star guard continues to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite the loss of such talent and skill, the Nets are, perhaps, the only team in the NBA who are still considered legitimate championship contenders. They have two former MVPs to count on despite Irving’s ineligibility to play.

Without the former Duke star, James Harden and Kevin Durant will have to carry a heavier load for the Brooklyn Nets to finish what they started last year. Harden, in particular, will carry the brunt of the playmaking duties that he and Irving were supposed to share. The Beard will also be more involved in the offense to partly offset the loss of the only player with a 50/40/90 stat line last season.

James Harden is still confident the Nets will achieve their championship goals without Kyrie Irving 😤 https://t.co/mNtJK2DbfQ

The Brooklyn Nets, sans Kyrie, will rely on James Harden to be the do-it-all star he has proven to be in his stint with the Houston Rockets. Because of necessity, Harden could rewrite the Nets’ record books in different statistical categories.

In only 36 games last season, he has already topped a few of these records. With more minutes and usage, he could reset more of them as the 2021-22 NBA season progresses.

Brooklyn Nets records that could be reset by James Harden

#5 Free throws made

James Harden has piled up points throughout his career from the 4.5-meter line

Since being traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets (excluding his shortened play with the Brooklyn Nets last season), James Harden has averaged an impressive 687.6 free throws, including a staggering 754 makes, in the 2018-19 campaign.

He led the league in converted free-throw attempts six times, each time by a wide margin. The numbers don’t lie. Harden has been the most prolific free-throw shooter in the NBA for the last eight years.

The Nets’ single-season record is owned by Rick Barry when he sunk 641 of them in the 1971-72 season. That record could be erased by the King of Free Throws before the current season ends.

New NBA rules regarding unnatural shooting motions to get a foul should do little to affect Harden’s propensity to get to the line and make free throws.

#4 Three-point field goals made

The Beard is one of the most prolific scorers from deep in the last decade

In the age of space and pace, the three-point shot has become the NBA’s signature basket. Credit has been given to Steph Curry for changing the way the game is now played, and rightfully so. However, the Bearded One, now playing for the Brooklyn Nets, is not too far behind.

In James Harden’s last five full seasons, he has buried an average of 288 three-point shots. From 2017-18 until the 2019-20 season, no NBA player had sunk more three-point field goals than Harden. His 378 trifectas in the 2018-19 season are second only to Steph Curry’s NBA record of 402, which the Golden State Warriors star set in the 2015-16 campaign.

Players in @NBAHistory to record 300+ three-point field goals in a season:

James Harden (300, 2018-19)
Stephen Curry (402, 2015-16 | 324, 2016-17) https://t.co/NyxVDOkut5

D’Angelo Russell’s season record of 234 three-point shots made in 2018-19 for the Brooklyn Nets could be in jeopardy, especially in an 82-game schedule and with more leeway on offense for Harden.