James Harden told reporters after Wednesday's loss to the Heat that his early-season struggles were linked to his long rehab from the nagging hamstring injuries that plagued him down the stretch and in the playoffs last season.
Many believed there was a much stronger correlation to Harden's drop in scoring and the NBA's new initiative on foul calls, which no longer reward an offensive player for creating the illusion of contact or making unnatural shooting motions to draw fouls.
It was a hard assumption to argue, as Harden was averaging just three free throws per game through the first five games of the season, after averaging nearly 10 over the last seven years. But Harden looked much more like his old self in Friday night's win over the Pacers, drawing contact and getting to the line 19 times, the most he's ever had in a Nets uniform.
"That's just me being aggressive," Harden said. "The first couple games, I wasn't aggressive. I was aggressive in spurts, but just trying to be aggressive for four quarters, and I had that burst, that speed of just getting to my spots, whether it's getting to the basket or shooting my shots. I felt pretty good out there for an entire game."
Harden sank 16 of those 19 foul shots, accounting for more than half of his points as he finished with a season-high 29 points while shooting 5-for-11 from the floor and hitting three of his six 3-point attempts. On Wednesday, he told reporters he needed to work his way back to the 30 or 40-point scorer he has been since his days with the Rockets, and in the span of just one game, he almost got back to that mark.
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"It wasn't 30," Harden laughed after falling one point shy of that mark. "Like I keep saying, every single game I feel good and feel better. I felt better today. Continuing to work on my off days, and on game days just continue to be aggressive and get to the basket and shoot my shots."
Players around the league have voiced frustration over the new foul calling guidelines, including Trae Young, but Harden doesn't believe that is what's holding back his production. Friday night's performance was a strong piece of evidence to support that claim, and the next step for Harden will be to return to that level of play on a nightly basis.
"Eventually things will happen where it's consistent and I'm up there playing like myself," Harden said.
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