Brooklyn Nets’ Steve Nash Reveals His Bloated Expectations from James Harden

The last couple of weeks were more about the Brooklyn Nets than about any other team. After all, they have acquired the best squad ‘on paper’ and so it is fair to put them under the microscope. So far, it has been hits-and-misses for Steve Nash’s team and there are visible reasons for this.

James Harden, the newest entrant to the team, has lacked consistency. His first two games were phenomenal, but the following three were far from his own benchmark. This raised doubts over the so-called Big Three and their expected immortality. 

Brooklyn Nets’ coach spoke up for James Harden

The duty to tame this team of multiple All-stars lies on the inexperienced shoulders of rookie coach Steve Nash. While he had no answers on the recent Kyrie Irving episode, the newly appointed coach showed confidence in James Harden’s abilities. The Beard has been weak at his defending prowess and that is quite concerning. So the question is, can the management trust the 6’5” guard to defend the big men in the league?

An optimist Steve Nash sounded positive about this.

The Nets lost both of their games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs were filled with big men like Andre Drummond, and the Nets totally submitted against them. Harden had a slow start in both the games, even offensively, and that raised certain doubts over his abilities.

Is The Beard perfectly fit to take such responsibilities?

During Harden’s last game for the Houston Rockets, snaps of his bloated belly were floating on social media. Critics were quick to suggest that he was not NBA fit. However, he bounced back in the Nets jersey and magically looked leaner than that early appearance. Still, something about his fitness seems unsettling. 

Coach Steve Nash himself agreed to this when he recently expressed, “I think he’s trying to get himself into shape.” Harden’s last performance against the Heat was also mediocre. He scored just 12 points and 11 assists in the game that they almost lost because of Bam Adebayo’s tremendous individual show.

Can Harden bounce back and live to the budding expectations? 

Read also – Why James Harden Will Face Brand New Financial Challenge with His Brooklyn Nets Team