James Harden was the butt of many jokes at the beginning of the season when he was seen in photos on and off the court sporting a thicker physique than fans are used to.
Harden made his debut with the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night against the Orlando Magic and those keeping tabs on the three-time leading scorer noticed there was a difference in “The Beard’s” appearance now and his appearance with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
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NBA fans pointed out the noticeable change on social media.
JAMES HARDEN INSISTS HE WASN’T BEING ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ AMID ROCKETS DEPARTURE
The Nets acquired Harden in a four-way trade during the week that saw them give up several future draft picks, Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers were both involved in the trade. The Rockets acquired Victor Oladipo from the Pacers.
During his introductory press conference Friday, Harden appeared eager to get onto the floor.
“My job is to come out here and obviously score the basketball when needed, but my playmaking ability as far as getting our shooters shots and our bigs finishes around the rim and making the entire team better, I think that’s one aspect of my game that will excel in this offense,” Harden said, via the team’s website.
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“As long as I’m making my teammates better, it doesn’t matter about the points. I think everybody knows I can score the ball at a high clip, and that’s where the sacrifice comes in at.”
