James Harden On Shooting Slump: “It’s Getting Better”

James Harden in 2017
James Harden at a promotional event of Adidas during his China tour in 2017. Photo by Shutterstock (8991895i)

Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden isn’t too worried about the shooting slump that limited him to 15 or fewer points in three straight games for the first time in a decade. Speaking with reporters after a 106-93 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, Harden said that he is in the process of finding his offensive game and believes things are trending for the better.

“Just getting more confident, being aggressive,” Harden said via ESPN. “And it’s getting better every single game. As much as I want to get back to just, you know, [scoring] 30 and 40 points, I can’t do that [right now].”

Harden suffered a hamstring injury midway through the 2020-21 season and has spent the better part of the offseason rehabbing. He believes this is a major reason why he isn’t so dominant on the offense at the moment.

“I had no opportunities to play pickup or nothing this summer,” he explained.

Harden is currently averaging 16.6 points per game, which is his lowest since the 2010-11 season, which was his third as a pro. But the 32-year-old still remains impactful on the floor in other areas, averaging 7.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists while having 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

With James Harden not playing to his capabilities and Kyrie Irving being away from the team, the Nets have struggled to find consistency so far in 2021-22. They have only two wins in their first five games while suffering some blowout losses, including a 104-127 defeat against the reigning NBA champs Milwaukee Bucks.

Gunner's favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Iron Man (just the first one), and every James Bond film ever made. He's learning TV and cinema and hoping to always enjoy movies as he does now.