James Harden: Carrying Rockets' scoring load was 'draining'
James Harden's scoring responsibilities have decreased since joining Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets. It's a change he's happy about after carrying the Houston Rockets' scoring load for over eight seasons in Houston.
"There's always going to be some kind of negative perception on James. That's when you go out there and continue to prove people wrong. The situation that I was in with Houston - consistently, every single night having to get 40 points to give ourselves a chance to win for a long extent of years - was draining," he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols.
Harden led the league in scoring in each of his last three seasons, averaging 30.4, 36.1, and 34.3 points. In 13 games with the Nets, he's averaging 23.3 points per game, which is his lowest output since the 2011-12 campaign.
The 31-year-old also admitted that he wasn't trying to be disrespectful when he requested a trade from Houston and regrets how his time in the city ended.
Now that he's in Brooklyn, Harden fully expects to compete for his first NBA title. It might be a little easier for him now alongside Irving and Durant.
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