"He plays lazy basketball right now" - Nick Wright lashes out at James Harden for his poor performances for Brooklyn Nets this season
James Harden faced his former team, the Houston Rockets, on Wednesday. Playing without Kevin Durant, Harden struggled to lift the Brooklyn Nets to victory as they lost 114-104. Fox Sports' Nick Wright believes the former MVP is playing "lazy basketball."
In the most recent episode of First Things First on FS1, Wright criticized Harden for being in the worst form of his career since he played for the Rockets. Wright went on to add that the Nets star is no longer one of the best players in the world. He said:
"Since James Harden has been James Harden, this is the worst he's been, the worst he's looked. And it's not even close."
"Since James Harden has been James Harden this is the worst he's looked, & it's not even close. ... Harden's playing lazy basketball right now. He's supposed to be 1 of the 6 best players in the sport & thus far this year he hasn't been 1 of the 36 best players." — @getnickwright https://t.co/MaWlLzg6on
Wright went on to add:
"He plays lazy basketball right now. He doesn't take any twos. He settles for all the threes and he turns the ball over. And he's 32 years old and you just wonder like, 'Why is it going to get better?' I think it's a big deal. I think this is a guy who is supposed to be, without a doubt, one of the best six players in the sport. And thus far this year, he hasn't been one of the best 36 players."
In the 10-point loss to the Rockets, James Harden finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. However, Harden shot just 4-for-16 from the field and had eight turnovers. He did manage to get to the free throw line 14 times and made 12 of them.
Harden was not the only player to struggle against the Rockets as the whole Nets team just shot 39.3% from the field. They played without Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge, who were given a rest day by head coach Steve Nash after playing heavy minutes the previous night against the Dallas Mavericks.
Up next for the Nets are the Atlanta Hawks as part of their current four-game road trip. They will finish their road trip on Sunday when they face the Detroit Pistons at at Little Caesars Arena.
James Harden gets tribute video in return to Houston
James Harden returned to Houston on Wednesday for the second time since being traded to the Brooklyn Nets last season. Harden received a tribute video in front of thousands of Rockets fans inside the Toyota Center. It was a great video and the fans in attendance applauded their former star.
In return, Harden recognized the crowd by making a heart sign with his hands. It was the second tribute video by the Rockets to Harden, who first returned in March last season. However, that game only had limited people inside the arena and consequently, not many were able to show their appreciation for their former MVP.
All love from @JHarden13 for H-Town. 🚀 https://t.co/lGIcgkriSv
The Houston Rockets parted ways with James Harden on January 21, 2020 in a four-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. Harden joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, but they failed to win the championship last season.
Harden played in Houston for eight full seasons since being acquired from the OKC Thunder in 2012. With the Rockets, the 32-year-old guard turned from sixth man to superstar and MVP. Harden was the league's MVP in 2018 and helped the Rockets make the playoffs every season he was there.
Overall, he averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game in his Rockets career. Harden is also a one-time MVP, a six-time All-NBA First Teamer and an eight-time All-Star in Houston. He will go down as one of the greatest Rockets players ever despite not bringing a championship to the franchise.