James Harden blames a lack of conditioning for poor start

It has been a slow start to the season for Brooklyn Nets star James Harden and he made it clear conditioning has had a negative impact on him. 

What is going on with the Brooklyn Nets? Loaded with so much star power, the team is now 2-3 on the season following a 106-93 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. It was yet another disappointing result.

In that defeat, sharpshooter James Harden scored 14 points. On the night, Harden shot 4-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-8 from 3-point land. Obviously, that’s not what Harden was hoping to get done. It’s been a rough five-game stretch for him. The veteran standout made it clear his rough offseason is having a negative impact on his campaign thus far.

James Harden is off to a rocky start in 2021-22 for the Brooklyn Nets

“As much as I want to get back to 30s and 40s points, I can’t do that,” Harden said after the loss to Miami. “As much as I want to, as much as I would love to, I didn’t have any opportunities to play pickup. It was all rehab.”

Harden dealt with a hamstring injury last year and it’s clear things are still in the back of his mind a bit. He hasn’t looked like himself in a while. Through the first five games of the year, Harden is averaging 16.6 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per contest.

Those simply aren’t the kinds of numbers that you’d expect from a player of his caliber. It’s looking like Harden is simply going to need a little bit more time to get things right from a mental and physical standpoint. It goes without saying, but Brooklyn will need him at his absolute best if they want to make noise once the postseason arrives.