After a disappointingly short playoff run that ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Brooklyn Nets fans can be sure that changes are in store next season.
Nets general manager Sean Marks has confirmed as much, so we decided to take a look at the usage rate of the Nets’ stars. The numbers might surprise you.
One particular player recorded an outstanding 20.8% rate when playing alongside Kevin Durant came up and 26.5% when playing with Kyrie Irving. This unusual statistic produced by none other than James Harden.
Harden was the facilitator on this team, leading the Nets in assists during the regular season with 10.9 assists per game. In the playoffs, he also led the team with 8.6 assists per game despite playing with a strained hamstring.
His usage rate was a solid 28.3% over the course of 44 games all year, including eight games with the Rockets, according to Statmuse. Keep in mind, the Beard also scored 24.6 points per game in the regular season and 20.2 in the postseason to go along with all those assists. Kevin Durant was the Nets player with the highest usage rate at 31.1%, while Kyrie Irving posted a 30.4% usage rate.
The last time Harden only had the third-highest usage rate on a team, it was almost a decade ago, in 2012, when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Although the Nets’ big three of Harden, Durant and Irving played only eight games together in the regular season and just five games together in the postseason, Harden has shown signs that he is the key to the offense.
[vertical-gallery id=21993]
[mm-video type=video id=01f9g4m8by2bcy9n007p playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f9g4m8by2bcy9n007p/01f9g4m8by2bcy9n007p-4cdc1eab810d31be5788d9e69cdfcbcb.jpg]