Sunday marked a year since James Harden’s debut as a Brooklyn Net when he posted a triple-double against the Orlando Magic to signal the start of the NBA’s latest superteam.
But the team the Nets envisioned when they traded for Harden has rarely come to fruition. Because of injuries, quarantine and personal matters limiting their time together Brooklyn’s big three have played in just 16 games together.
The Nets’ decision to trade a bounty of draft picks and young and promising players signaled the end of the reconstruction project after the post-Celtics trade years and put the Nets in full “championship or bust” mode. Harden’s acquisition also created a domino effect as other big names saw Brooklyn as an attractive destination. Harden reflected on his own first year as a Net after the team’s win in Chicago and admitted the team’s vision of what it could be hasn’t come together the way it was designed after the trade.
Sunday marks James Harden's one-year anniversary as a Nets player. He scored a triple-double against the Orlando Magic in that game, marking the NBA's newest super team on set sail.
However, the super team of the Nets' dream when they came to Harden in the trade did not come true. Injuries, COVID-19 and individual reasons limited their time to playing together to a paltry 16 games.
The Nets trade took a lot of draft picks and young and promising players, which marked the end of their rebuilding plan after the trade with the Celtics, embarking on a "break up without winning" model. Getting Harden also led to a series of domino effects that made other notorious players see Brooklyn as an attractive team. After the team's victory in Chicago, Harden looked back on his first year as a Nets player and acknowledged that the team failed to live up to the ideal scenario of the plan.
“It’s been a crazy year,” Harden said. “A lot of craziness a lot of ups and downs but hopefully going into this year we can kind of create something special and do what I came here and Kevin (Durant) came here and Kai (Irving) came here to do. What basically (GM) Sean (Marks) and (governors) Joe and Clara (Tsai) put this team together for.”
As The Athletic reflects on the first year of the big three era, here are the 10 most important aspects to arise since The Beard came to Brooklyn.
"It's been a crazy year." Harden said. "A lot of crazy things, we've been through a lot of ups and downs, but hopefully after this year we can do something special and do what I, Durant and Owen came here to do. It is also what (general manager) and (boss) Cai Chongxin, Wu Minghua wanted to do when he formed this team. ”
The Athletic looks back on the first year of the Nets' Big Three era and lists the following ten of the most important events since Harden came to Brooklyn.
Injuries/Attrition
Durant’s MCL sprain, which could keep him out four to six weeks, is the latest health adversity the Nets have to confront, but Brooklyn’s attrition problem last season started before trading for Harden.
Spencer Dinwiddie’s partial ACL tear at Charlotte in the third game of the 2020-21 season started an injury bug that stayed with the Nets. The Nets had 27 different players suit up for them (anyone remember Norvel Pelle?) and nearly 40 different starting lineups. Harden’s debut came without Kyrie Irving, who was away from the team for personal matters. The big three debuted in Cleveland on Jan. 20, 2021 but Durant would go into quarantine shortly after because of contact tracing and then come out of it to strain his hamstring and miss half the season. Harden would strain his own hamstring later in the season, an injury that flared up again in the postseason.
Injury/physical attrition
Durant's knee sprain could leave him out for 4 to 6 weeks. It's a health problem the Nets have had recently, but their health has been on the rise since before the trade came to Harden.
Dinwiddie suffered a cruciate ligament tear at Charlotte in the third game of the 2020-21 season, opening up the team's lingering injury shadow. The Nets signed a total of 27 players (remember Norville Pele?). ), using nearly 40 sets of starts. Harden's debut Irving was not present when he left the team for personal reasons. The Big Three only made their joint debut in Cleveland on January 20, 2021, but Durant was soon quarantined for close contact with COVID-19 patients, returned with a hamstring and missed half a season. Harden also injured his hamstring at the end of the season and again in the playoffs.
The Celtics series
Injuries aside, Steve Nash was able to guide the Nets to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference as the team got healthier toward the end of the regular season. Maybe the best display of what the Nets could be when fully healthy, Brooklyn disposed of Boston in five games to win the franchise’s first playoff series since 2014.
The Celtics weren’t the conference finalists of years past, but the series marked the first, and perhaps the only, time the Nets were healthy all year. Brooklyn’s Game 1 lineup against Boston — which included the Big Three, Joe Harris and Blake Griffin as starters, and Jeff Green, Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet as reserves — marked the first time that lineup had played together all season. It didn’t last long as Green injured his foot in Game 2 and missed the rest of the series. Green returned in the next round, but his injury proved to be an omen for what was to come. Even without Green, Brooklyn’s offense was clicking as Harris torched the Celtics from deep in Game 2 and Irving stomped on his former team both literally and figuratively.
And the Celtics series
Injuries aside, steve Nash managed to bring the Nets to second place in the East as the team grew healthier by the end of the regular season. Perhaps the best example of the nets' strength in full health is the series with the Celtics, where Brooklyn settled Boston in five games and won the team's first series since 2014.
The Celtics aren't the East Conference Team they were a few years ago, but this series is the first and probably only time the Nets have been healthy that season. The Nets G1's roster against the Celtics includes the big three, Joe Harris and Griffin starting as well as substitutes Jeff Green, Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet, making the lineup play together for the first time in a season. The situation didn't last long, with Jeff Green injuring his foot at G2 and missing the rest of the series. He returned in the next round, but eventually his injury also foreshadowed what would happen next. Even without Green, the Nets' offense was extremely fluid, with Joe Harris tearing the Celtics apart with three-pointers at G2 and Irving stomping his former club under his feet.
The Bucks series
The Nets ability to weather injuries caught up with them against Milwaukee. Brooklyn lost Harden to the hamstring strain a minute into Game 1 and Irving to an ankle sprain in Game 3. Prior to Irving’s injury, the Nets were up 2-0 in the series and Milwaukee wasn’t competitive in either game.
Even without Irving, Brooklyn nearly won the series, with Durant’s 49-point triple-double in Game 5 becoming instantly legendary and his game-tying shot at the end of regulation in Game 7 was inches from being a 3-pointer and sending the Nets to the conference finals. Milwaukee went on to win the NBA title and Durant said this preseason that he felt exhausted at the end of the Bucks series and didn’t think the Nets success was sustainable had they advanced to the conference finals.
and the Bucks series
The Nets' injury gave them a bitter taste against Milwaukee. They lost Harden, who sprained his hamstring in the opening minute of G1, and Irving, who sprained his ankle at G3. Before Irving was injured, the Nets took a 2-0 lead, and Milwaukee was unable to resist in both games.
Even without Irving, the Nets nearly won the series. Durant scored a legendary 49 points + triple-double at G5 and brought the Nets to the Eastern Conference Finals just one foot away from G7. The Bucks kept the momentum to win the championship, and Durant said in the offseason that he was exhausted after playing the series with the Bucks and wasn't sure if they could extend the victory if they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The latest Kyrie saga
Last season, Irving was Brooklyn’s most reliable star. He played in 54 of 72 games and put up the first 50-40-90 season of his career, joining an elite club of which both Durant and Nash are members. This season, he’s been their least reliable. A New York City mandate requiring citizens to be fully vaccinated to enter entertainment forums and businesses has caused Irving to miss all but three of the Nets’ first 42 games.
Irving hasn’t indicated any interest in changing his vaccination stance and Harden has joked that he’s going to give Irving a shot to get him eligible for home games. Irving’s situation puts more emphasis on the Nets’ ability to win this season. Both Irving and Harden have player options this summer. They could decline them, which would make them free agents.
Gauging Irving’s market is difficult given his limited playing time this season and in recent years. Of the 202 games the Nets have played since Irving signed with them, he has played in just 88 of them or 43.5 percent. His short time in Brooklyn has been defined by both his greatness (he had a 50-40-90 season last year) and his lack of appearances.
Owen's soap opera
Last season, Irving was the Nets' most reliable star. He played 54 of 72 games and entered club 180 for the first time in his career, joining the elite club where Durant and Nash were playing. And this season, he is the most unreliable. New York's requirement for citizens to be vaccinated to attend major entertainment events left Irving out of 39 of the Nets' first 42 games.
Irving has not yet shown any interest in vaccinations. Harden joked that he was going to give Irving a shot so he could play the home game. Irving's situation has made the Nets' goal of winning this season even more difficult. Both Irving and Harden have player options this summer. They can choose to be free agents.
Given Irving's limited playing time this season and in recent years, his market value is difficult to measure. In the 202 games since Irving signed with the Nets, he has played only 88 games, or just 43.5 percent. His brief time with the Nets was a combination of excellent standards (last year's 180 club) and poor attendance.
Did the Nets get the Harden they thought they were getting?
Prior to the Milwaukee series, the answer was an unequivocal yes.
Last season, Harden looked like an MVP candidate in Brooklyn as he piled up triple-doubles as if they were $1 slices of New York pizza. Then the hamstring issues came, marking the first time in his career that he was injured. Harden played the last three games of the Milwaukee series essentially on one leg to try and aid Durant, and he had to opt out of the Tokyo Olympics in order to recover.
This season, Harden has had to adapt to the new officiating rules after mastering the previous ones to draw fouls. As of Sunday, Harden is averaging 8.1 free throw attempts per game, up from his average of 7.3 from last season. But Harden isn’t beating defenders off the dribble as regularly as he used to and his game appears to be more contingent on getting to the line than before.
Saturday’s win over the Pelicans marked just his second game in which he’s scored more than 20 points this season without shooting 10 or more free throws. Harden is eligible for an extension this year that could pay him a max of $270 million and would make him the first NBA player to make $60 million a season. NBA contracts tend to reflect a player’s past performance instead of projecting their future. As Harden goes further into his career, giving him the max must be the subject of serious conversations happening in the Nets’ front office given the luxury tax bill and the roster restrictions it would place on the Nets, who are already operating with limited options.
Did the Nets get the Harden they wanted?
Before the series with the Bucks, the answer to this question was undoubtedly "yes."
Last season, Harden played like an MVP candidate at the Nets. He took three pairs as easy as drinking water. Then the hamstring problem came to him, and it was the first time in his career that he had suffered this injury. The final three games of the series with the Bucks were basically playing on one leg to try to help Durant before he withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics to recover.
This season, Harden, who is adept at making fouls, needs to adapt to the league's new rules. Until now, Ha has averaged 8.1 free throws on the field, up from 7.3 last season. But he no longer kills defenders with dribbles as often as he used to, and his games rely more on free throws than in the past.
Sunday's win over the Pelicans was his second time this season that he scored 20 points with fewer than 10 free throws. Harden's ability to secure a contract extension of up to $270 million this season would make him the first player in NBA history to earn more than $60 million in a single season. NBA contracts tend to be because of their past performance, not future projections. As Harden spends more time in the league, whether to give him a big contract must be a serious question for the Nets hierarchy, as it would introduce luxury taxes and player signing restrictions to the Nets, who now have limited room to maneuver.
Patty Mills filling in
Perhaps Brooklyn’s saving grace this season, Mills has been the Nets’ biggest offseason addition as his shooting has helped offset Harris’ injury as well as Irving’s absence. Now he’ll be needed to step up again with Durant out of the lineup.
Mills signed a two-year deal through their taxpayer’s exception giving the Nets another Spurs disciple in Brooklyn. Mills is averaging a career-high 13.4 points per game and shooting 42 percent from 3 in the process. The 6-foot-1 guard has provided a veteran presence on the floor and has been a strong presence in the Nets’ locker room, doing everything from playing emergency point guard to taking the rookies on a coffee run on road trips. Mills’ experience has already helped the Nets halfway through the season and he will be leaned on more as the postseason approaches and his championship experience is needed.
Patty Mills joins
That's probably the nets' only bright spot this season. Mills is already the Nets' biggest reinforcement of the offseason, and his projection ability has helped the team offset harris's injury and Irving's absence. But he needs to go further to make up for Durant's absence.
Mills signed a two-year contract with the Nets through a trade exception, adding another former Spurs player to the Nets. He averaged a career-high 13.4 points per game this season and shot 42 percent from three-point range. The 6'1 veteran played well on the pitch and had an impact in the dressing room off the pitch. He does everything he can, from being a point guard to playing on the road with his rookie. Mills' experience helped the Nets tremendously in the first half of the season. As the playoffs approach, the Nets will rely more heavily on him, and the team needs his championship experience.
Blake Griffin and the buyout market
Griffin joined the Nets in March 2021 after being bought out by the Pistons. His addition showed just how far the organization had come. Years earlier, Jordan Farmar and Anthony Morrow were the Nets’ prized offseason additions in the franchise’s final years in New Jersey. And, yet, here they were adding a former No. 1 overall pick through the buyout market.
Griffin became a secondary scorer and brought his ability to draw charges with him, a trait that spread throughout the team. Currently, he’s co-founder of the Blue Collar Boys Club, a select group he founded with Harris that invokes a construction worker-esque dress-up as a celebration for taking a charge. Mills is the only other known member while Durant has made guest appearances in the past.
Blake Griffin and players buy out the market
Griffin joined the Nets in March 2021 after being bought out by the Pistons. His arrival has allowed the team to make great progress. A few years ago, in the Nets' final season in New Jersey, their most cherished playoff signings were Jordan Farmar and Anthony Morrow. However, now joining them becomes a former champion signed through the buyout market.
Griffin is no longer the main scorer. He brought the ability to foul the team and let that trait spread throughout the team. Now, he is one of the co-founders of the Blue Collar Boys' Club. It was an organization he and Harris created to imitate workers as a celebration of foul-making. Mills is the only other known member, although Durant has also appeared as a guest in the past.
Griffin’s addition also helped label the Nets as villains in the NBA for having such a loaded roster, which made for an interesting case study in perception when the topic was brought up to him.
“It’s kind of funny to me because for the last couple years all I’ve heard is how bad I am,” Griffin said a few weeks after signing. “You sign with this team and everybody’s like, ‘That’s not fair!’
“People say whatever they want. I don’t put a whole lot of value in other people’s opinions. I trust the people I trust. If I don’t go to you for advice then I’m probably not gonna take your criticism. So I have that circle of people and I have that group of people that I trust, real basketball people. That’s who I listen to. I just think it’s funny, I guess you could say it’s amusing. I can’t speak for LaMarcus, I don’t know what people have been saying about him. That’s how I felt when I came here. I was hearing how bad I was and now people care for some reason.”
Griffin's addition also makes the Nets the new big boss of the NBA. This is also an interesting case from last season.
"It's kind of funny for me because I've been hearing people say how bad I am for the last few years," Griffin said a few weeks after signing. "As soon as I signed with this team, everybody started saying, 'This is not fair!' ”
"Whatever people say. I don't particularly value other people's opinions. I believe in those I believe in. If I hadn't come to you for advice, I probably wouldn't have listened to your criticism. So I have a circle of people, a bunch of real basketball people that I trust. What they say is what I will listen to. I just think it's funny, and you can say it's funny. I couldn't speak for LaMarcus, I don't know what people say about him. That's how I felt after I came here. I've been hearing people talk about how bad I am before I came, and now people care about me because I signed with the Nets. ”
LaMarcus Aldridge’s path to Brooklyn and back
As Griffin touched on above, he wasn’t the only major addition to join the Nets through the buyout market. Aldridge signed with the Nets shortly after Griffin, giving them two former top-two picks in the frontcourt. Aldridge had numerous connections to the Nets. He hosted Durant on his recruiting visit to the University of Texas, played with then-assistant Ime Udoka in Portland as well as GM Sean Marks.
But as quickly as Aldridge’s tenure in Brooklyn started, it came to an abrupt end after he experienced an irregular heartbeat in April against the Lakers, which led him to retire. Aldridge came out of retirement in September after receiving clearance from numerous doctors and has been an integral part of the Nets’ rotation this season.
“The mid-range specialist” as Harden calls him, Aldridge has thrived off pick-and-pop actions to get off his signature shot. At age 36, he is shooting a career-high 57 percent from the field. Aldridge has missed the past five games due to right foot soreness, but is expected to return to the lineup as early as Monday. With Durant out, Aldridge’s scoring will be needed to offset his fellow Longhorn’s absence.
LaMarcus Aldridge came to the Nets and returned
As Griffin mentioned, he's not the only reinforcement the Nets have gotten by buyout the market. After Griffin, Aldridge also signed them quickly, forming a combination of two front-line top two picks. He is inextricably linked to the Nets. He organized Durant's recruitment to the University of Texas and played in Portland with then-assistant coach Emme Uduka and general manager Sean Max.
His Nets career began quickly, but the end was also hurried. He felt arrhythmia after the Game against the Lakers in April, which eventually led to his retirement. He made a comeback in September after receiving numerous doctors' permission and has become an integral part of the Nets' rotation this season.
The "mid-range expert," as Harden called him, aldridge's iconic mid-range shots on the outside line have become increasingly popular after blocking and dismantling. At the age of 36, his shooting percentage reached a career-high of 57 percent. Aldridge has missed the past five games due to a right-foot injury but is expected to return to the squad as early as Monday. Durant is out and the team will need his points to make up for his former Texas teammate's absence.
This season’s defense at the expense of offense
Last season the question that followed the Nets was if they’d be able to be the first team to win a title with a defense that ranked outside the league’s top 10, a feat that hadn’t been done since Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers in 2001.
This year it has been the opposite. Brooklyn has a top-10 defense and ranked as high as the top-five, but has regressed in recent weeks. The Nets’ defensive success has been two-fold. The effort to guard has been more consistent and the team has featured more defensive-oriented players in DeAndre’ Bembry, Jevon Carter, Bruce Brown and Nic Claxton. But the offset has been that the Nets’ offense hasn’t even anywhere near the historic efficiency it was last year. Irving’s absence and Harden’s injuries have played a factor, but some of the Nets’ newer additions are offensively limited, causing Nash to deploy lineups that aren’t ideal for floor-spacing or dynamic scoring.
Defensive improvements this season at the expense of offense
The question surrounding the Nets last season was whether they could be the first championship team whose defensive efficiency failed to make it into the league's top ten. Since the OK Team's Lakers in 2001, no team has been able to accomplish this feat.
This year the opposite is true. The Nets' defense is in the top ten, and it's as high as the top five, but it's slipped somewhat in recent weeks. Success on their defensive end goes both ways. Their efforts in defense can be seen, and the team has more defensively proficient players, including DeAndre Bembry, Javin Carter, Bruce Brown and Nick Clarkston. But the problem is that their offense is not at all as efficient as it was last year's. Irving's absence and Harden's injury were factors, with some of the Nets' new signings having limited ability on the offensive end, leading Nash to put up some lineups with insufficient court space and poor athletic scoring ability.
The Bulls game
Picking one signature game since Harden arrived in Brooklyn is hard. He’s notched triple-doubles and last season every game felt like a passing clinic. There was the come-from-behind win in Phoenix last season without Durant and Irving. There were the Lakers and Clippers games this past December and Durant’s 49-point triple-double against Milwaukee in the last postseason.
Maybe one of the most recent is the easiest because it was the latest reminder of the vision Marks traded for, albeit without Harris. Brooklyn’s big three overwhelmed the Bulls as Nash was able to stagger his star trio. The result was Chicago’s defense never got a break and a big third quarter from the Nets put the game away. The win marked the first appearance of Brooklyn’s big three this season because of Irving’s part-time status with the team.
And now, with Durant hurt, we don’t know if we’ll see another performance like it as who knows when KD, Harden and Irving will be together on the court again
A match with the Bulls
It's not easy to pick out a post-Harden game for the Nets. Harden has got a lot of triple-doubles, and he's been a master passer for the past year. Durant and Irving are both out of the game against the Suns to win against the weak. There have been games against the Clippers and Lakers in the past December. There was also Durant's 49-point triple-double against the Bucks in last year's playoffs.
Perhaps the easiest option is the most recent one, because this is the most recent time we saw what Marx's ideal team looked like when he was trading, even without Harris. The Nets' Big Three still overpowered the Bulls, and Nash staggered the Big Three's time. The result was that the Bulls' defense couldn't stop for a moment, and the Nets took the game away in a wave in the third quarter. The win was also the first joint appearance of the Nets' Big Three of the season in Irving's part-time presence.
And now, Durant is injured, and we don't know if we'll ever see what we know about Duhao's joint performance.