KB Sports: The Nets were originally favourites to compete for the championship, but the 5 preseason games that have ended have not expressed their strength. The reason for the decline in strength, in addition to Irving's absence from the regular season, Harden's ability to decline is also a very important factor, although Durant remains as strong as ever, but Harden's decline and Irving's absence, so that the Nets' three giants framework is fragmented. No team can support your entire game with just one player, so Harden must also get back to his form as soon as possible, after all, there is no hope of expecting Irving.
Harden has averaged just 16 points per game in recent games, a far cry from being the player who scored 30+ from time to time last season. In addition to the impact of last season's injuries, there is also an important reason because the new season has stricter requirements for some foul-making rules. Many players in the league are very dissatisfied with Harden's behavior of scoring points by making fouls, and now the rules are more stringent, which has gradually reduced the number of times Harden stands on the free throw line last season to 7 times, and this season it has been reduced to three times.
If you look at the data alone, 4 free throws is just 4 points less, which will not let the average score drop so much, but the reduction of free throws will affect him more than just scoring. Because Harden's fouls are very subtle, many players are very restrained when they physically confront him. Harden also tweeted to comfort you, encourage yourself, and let the fans not be anxious.
This also gives Harden the space to score, but after the rules are changed, other players are not as afraid of Harden as before. This puts a lot more pressure on Harden when facing other players, and Kerr has long said that his style of play is very unstable and he needs a technical advantage to make him more stable.