“You could tell that he was ready for that next step of being a superstar leading a franchise” – Kevin Durant talks about his early days with James Harden and the latter’s trade to the Houston Rockets
The Brooklyn Nets have started to find their groove lately and James Harden and durant?ref=carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kevin Durant have led that surge. The two superstars have been a consistent force for the Nets (23-12) as usual.
It's been an interesting journey for the pair, who began gaining popularity during their tenure with the OKC Thunder. Harden was traded after three seasons and blossomed into a star with the Houston Rockets in a massive deal.
Durant recently spoke to The Athletic about his early time with Harden and how Harden has developed over the years. Durant talked about how competitive the former Thunder teammates were and how Harden having his own team brought out the best in his game.
“It was competitive," Durant said. "We (are) all young and want to establish ourselves, but it was all genuine. We all wanted to win as well. So once James got his own thing going to Houston, you could tell that he was ready for that next step of being a superstar leading a franchise.”
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Back in October, James Harden couldn’t believe he had been named one of the league’s greatest players ever.
“Ever? Wow.”
Harden lands at No. 33 on #TheAthleticNBA75.
✍️ @Alex__Schiffer & @KellyIkoNBA
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Former teammates thriving with the Brooklyn Nets
After being a rising star with the OKC Thunder, it was clear James Harden was ready for a bigger role. That's what happened when Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets, as he went on to become one of the most dangerous offensive forces in the NBA.
Since then, Harden has returned to the side of his old Thunder teammate Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets. In Brooklyn, the two have combined to make for one of the most lethal offensive duos in the entire NBA.
KD: Defense - > JH: Offense https://t.co/JLt3tqMkKp
After a slow start to the season, Harden has started to look like his old self. Meanwhile, Brooklyn looks like the dangerous force in the Eastern Conference it was expected to be.
In his last five games, Harden has averaged 32.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 45.3% (32.5% from 3-point range).
After starting out their careers in Oklahoma City, it looks as if the Nets teammates are getting prepared to make a run at winning a championship.
It's been an impressive career for Harden, and that resume is only going to get more dazzling if he and Durant can team up to bring a title to Brooklyn.
The OKC Thunder selected "Honey Bun" out of Arizona State with the third pick in the 2009 draft.