On January 11, the Brooklyn Nets James Harden confirmed that he was absent from today's game with the Portland Trail Blazers, giving the reason that his left knee was overextended, and it is unclear how long he will be absent next. This means that the Nets Big Three have only one game together and have to fall into a one-man situation again.
In the last season, Harden was plagued by frequent injuries, so much so that he played only 44 regular season games. Harden's attendance has remained good this season, playing 34 of his 38 games and missing some of his previous absences for triggering a safety and health agreement.
However, in this season, Harden's efficiency on the offensive end has declined significantly, and his shooting percentage so far in the season is only 41.7%, which is the worst season shooting rate since his rookie season. Even so, Harden has averaged 22.4 points, 9.7 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game this season.
In addition, due to Harden's absence, Irving will definitely need to spend more energy on organizing the offense, and Bemburi and Thomas may get more playing time.