“Kevin Durant and I are men now”: James Harden reflects on his days with OKC and says him and Brooklyn MVP are more mature now

James Harden talks about playing with Kevin Durant back in OKC and says that they are now men on the Brooklyn Nets.

The NBA’s newest big 3 in James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant haven’t taken the floor together as of yet. This is due to Kyrie Irving being out for personal reasons that have not been disclosed to the public nor the team.

However, this may have been a blessing in disguise as Irving’s time away from the team has allowed James Harden to have some wiggle room in getting acclimated with his new teammates. He’s been exploring his role as Brooklyn’s point guard in Kyrie’s absence.

Also Read: “James Harden needs to take it to that next level”: Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal advises former Rockets star to let his game do the talking with the Nets

Though he needs to work on his turnovers, he has been balling on the Nets, dropping 30+ points in his first two games with the team.

Kevin Durant and James Harden as teammates in the past

Kevin Durant and James Harden have shown a great deal of chemistry in these first two games alone. In fact, James Harden was the one who got the assist on Kevin Durant’s game winning 3 in their bout against the Bucks last night.

This could be attributed to the fact that the two MVPs have played with one another. From 2009-2012, they were both on the Oklahoma City Thunder, where they would go to the NBA Finals together as well.

When asked about their history together, James Harden said, “We were young in Oklahoma City. We are men now and we know what we want.”

I asked James Harden in what ways he and Kevin’s connection has improved this time around.

“We were young in Oklahoma City. We’re grown men now.”

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) January 19, 2021

Also Read: “Ben Simmons was expecting to be a Rockets player”: Sources reveal how close Daryl Morey’s 76ers were to making trade for James Harden

At this stage in their career, there must be a mutual understanding between the two in regards to who plays what role. James Harden is the only one without a championship in this Brooklyn big 3 and so must be willing to accept any role he can to obtain his first ever ring.

It will be interesting to see how Steve Nash plays Kyrie Irving alongside Harden, when the former makes his return to the team.