James Harden’s return from injury is around the corner as Nets star to travel with team to Miami
Cue the jokes.
James Harden, out with a hamstring strain, will travel with the Nets to South Beach for their next game against the Heat on Sunday. Harden, who has missed the last five games and will not play against the Heat, stayed in Brooklyn for the team’s last two road games in Minnesota and Philadelphia.
But he’s not going to miss a chance to take a trip to Miami.
Nets head coach Steve Nash says Harden needs to travel, even if he’s not going to play, so he can practice with the team as part of his rehab schedule.
“He needs to play and there’s no one to play with back here,” Nash said after Saturday’s practice. “So, to get him his workouts that are necessary is the first step and to do that he has to travel.”
It may just be a coincidence that Harden is traveling as the Nets are heading to South Beach, but the MVP candidate does have a reputation for enjoying the nightlife. He was fined $50,000 by the NBA in December before forcing his way out of Houston after he was spotted partying maskless at a local club. The club visit violated the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Harden’s party preferences are not important. His health and availability for this Nets team, on the other hand, is paramount.
The Beard is close to a return to action. He put up shots ahead of the Nets’ 130-115 win over the Hornets on Friday, and most telling was the ease with which he shot from distance. Harden hit shots from each hashmark, then hit shots from the edge of the Brooklyn Nets logo at halfcourt.
For reference, Kevin Durant suffered a more severe hamstring strain earlier this season and began getting shots up pregame during the team’s west coast road trip in February. Those shots were all short, an indication that Durant still had progress to be made in his rehab. He went on to miss another month and a half of action before returning on April 7 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Nets GM Sean Marks touched on Harden’s status when addressing reporters the day after LaMarcus Aldridge’s abrupt retirement. He said Harden needs to get another two play day under his belt, or practice days of four-on-four or five-on-five.
“Then hopefully if things go smoothly, he’ll be out and joining the guys in a game,” Marks said. “But he’s progressed well. He’s met his markers up to this point and we’ll just continue to progress him along and hopefully it’s not too much longer. At this point, I can’t put a timetable on whether it’s two days, five days, or so forth.”
The Nets miss Harden but have survived without him. Durant’s return — and his ability to hit contested shots — has given his team a lift. That return was delayed out of caution of re-injury, a caution the Nets are applying to Harden as they approach the latter stretch of the regular season.
“He’s on the right track and hopefully it won’t be long before he’s back, but there are still markers,” Nash said. “There’s James, who wants to play tonight, and there’s (the) performance (team) that wants to lean on science and be safe. They’re two disparate opinions and that’s what we’re here for, is to find the middle ground and make sure that he returns safely but also as soon as he can.”
