Kyrie has always been at his best when dribbling the ball into the ground and hunting for his own shot. Harden is the point guard and Kyrie is the shooting guard. The two have settled into new offensive roles during the team’s current five-game West Coast road trip. He casually strolled to the rim, set up his teammates for open shots, and scored seemingly without breaking a sweat. Harden had only one turnover despite dribbling through the heart of the Lakers defense the entire game. It never seemed like the Lakers bothered him. Harden was in complete control from the start, getting wherever he wanted to go and bending the defense to his will. The surprise isn’t that Brooklyn won the game without Kevin Durant, but rather how effortless it looked. Harden led the Nets in points (23) and assists (11) in a battle of shorthanded squads on Thursday, pacing a double-digit win over the Lakers. There’s little opponents can do to slow down the former MVP now that he’s playing with so much talent around him.

He’s one of the most skilled and intelligent players ever. Harden can play within the flow of the Nets’ offense, attacking off the dribble and taking what the defense gives him. He doesn’t have to carry his team on his back anymore. He’s flourishing as part of a superteam in Brooklyn, averaging 24.2 points per game with career highs in assists (11.7), rebounds (8.2), field-goal percentage (50.0), and 3-point percentage (40.8). Basketball has never been this easy for James Harden.

James harden stats with nets