Since the start of the new season, the most disappointing team is the two major championship favorites - the Lakers and the Nets. The former has not seen chemistry for a long time, facing a playoff team is difficult to win, and the latter's offensive defense has collapsed completely, giving people a great sense of contrast compared with pre-season predictions. This season, the NBA has implemented new rules to crack down on foul-making behavior, while encouraging more physical confrontation, and surprisingly, the players most affected by the new rules are not Doncic, nor Trae Young, but Harden, who has been in the league for 13 years. This is the main reason for the Nets' offensive obstruction in the new season.
Harden can be said to be the originator of fouls, relying on free throws to score in doubles in each game at its peak, but this season, Harden averaged only 3 free throws per game, the lowest in his career. At the same time, Harden's body shape change, resulting in a greatly reduced threat of retreat shots, coupled with a sharp reduction in free throws, Harden fell into unprecedented difficulties on the offensive end.
However, the NBA industry probably forgot when they were busy falling into the well, harden is also one of the smartest players in the NBA. In today's game, Harden made 19 free throws, scored 16 free throws, had 29 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, and 19 free throws exceeded the sum of the previous five games. In just five games, Harden adapted to the new scale, which is the key for the Nets to turn the tide.
Harden's state is back, which means the Nets' overall offense is back on track. The decline in Harden's personal offensive threat not only affects his own performance, but also affects the Nets' overall offensive level. In the first five games, only Durant played as expected on the Nets team, and everyone else was suppressed to varying degrees. Harris, the first scorer of the regular season last season, shot just 34.8 percent from three-point range this season, well below the career average, and he was the player most affected by Harden's decline. As can be seen from today's game, Harden has adapted to a new game scale, relying on free throws to cultivate shooting feel, and the threat of long-range shooting is greatly enhanced. Harden's state recovery, this is the Nets' new season opener.
After Harden's problem is solved, the Nets have only one last problem left, and the biggest problem - the problem of Irving's return. The first five games proved that the Nets' Big Three were indispensable, especially when Harden's offensive influence declined, and Irving's importance became more apparent. For the Nets who pursue the ultimate offense, Irving plays an irreplaceable role, as long as the two of the big three play at the same time, the Nets have the guarantee of offensive firepower, which is why the Nets can play the first offense in history last season. They maintain a fierce and efficient offensive level at all times.
That's why the Nets would rather ban Irving than try to trade him. Today, Nets owner Cai Chongxin said in an interview: "Despite the lack of Irving, I still believe that the Nets can win the game, and even so, we still hope that Irving can return as soon as possible." Subsequently, the Nets revealed to the team reporter that the Nets wanted to hide the problems exposed by Irving, and he missed the game due to psychological problems. The reason for the absence changed from personal to psychological, and Tsai Chongxin remained very optimistic about the progress of Irving's return, which seemed to indicate that Irving would return in the near future.
The NBA attaches great importance to the mental health of players, and the Nets may be to protect Irving from criticism, and it may also give Irving a step down and pave the way for Irving's return. During this time, although Irving did not play, the pressure on public opinion from the outside world was not less than when he played. As long as Irving has the possibility of returning, the Nets should not give up. Unless Irving can get the players who change the status quo of the Nets' defense, it is clear that Irving's trading value is much worse than before, so the Nets' best strategy at the moment is to wait and see what happens, and let time solve this problem.
In any case, Harden's recovery of status is to give the Nets a reassurance pill, which has been able to bring a certain degree of protection to the Nets' regular season record. As long as the Nets can complete the regular season schedule as expected, Irving's 82 regular season games are given time to think, and I believe he can tell the difference between the light and the heavy.