Nuggets' Bruce Brown Praises James Harden's Leadership
Before he became the co-star to Joel Embiid on the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden was a part of the Brooklyn Nets’ big three, which included Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
When Harden arrived in Brooklyn via trade during the 20202-2021 NBA season, many wondered whether or not three superstar players could coexist on the same team.
At the time, the perception surrounding Harden was questionable in the eyes of outsiders, considering how he pushed his way out of the Houston Rockets’ organization after spending nine-straight seasons there.
Harden’s image didn’t improve at all during his Brooklyn tenure since he once again requested a trade a little over a year after joining the Nets. When the Nets broke up the big three early by sending Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, the ten-time All-Star guard caught a lot of heat — and plenty of narratives described him as a bad teammate.
However, former Nets veteran Bruce Brown recently praised Harden from a teammate’s perspective, describing him as a solid leader on and off the court.
“When he left, the locker room was kind of quiet,” Brown explained on The Dan Lebeatard Show. “Nobody really did much together. James was a great teammate on and off the court, and was definitely one of the best teammates I've ever had. … He’s a different breed.”
A lot has transpired in Brooklyn since Harden’s departure. It turned out that he was just the first domino to fall in the eventual collapse of the Nets’ superteam.
Later on down the line, Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. A few days later, Kevin Durant was moved to the Phoenix Suns.
Bruce Brown, who spent two seasons in Brooklyn prior to the 2022-2023 NBA season, moved on as he signed with the Denver Nuggets in free agency ahead of this past season.
While Brown defended the state of Brooklyn’s locker room when he was still around, following the Harden era with the Nets, Brown has changed his tune, which paints a much more positive picture for Harden, who received scrutiny following his run in Brooklyn.
It’s still unclear what led to the fall of the Nets’ superteam, but it’s become clear that Harden was far from the issue, as the Nets had to hit the reset button during the 2022-2023 season.
