Brooklyn Nets star James Harden has drawn some criticism over the years about his effort, particularly on defense. While sometimes the criticism may exaggerate things a bit for the former NBA MVP (2018), we can all agree that he had a pretty lazy effort on the following play against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
Brooklyn led 67-55 in the third quarter, when Harden lost his dribble. The ball went into the backcourt, where Harden slowly jogged and ultimately decided to not pick up the ball. Instead of accepting the backcourt violation, Harden just let the Pistons have free points. Saddiq Bey picked the ball up while Harden watched on, and threw down a dunk.
Here’s how the hilarious play looked on each team’s broadcast:
Another weird James Harden play, no? pic.twitter.com/PTQc3F6hNy
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) November 6, 2021
lmao Harden just let them have it pic.twitter.com/zqJAwDP3iw
— Internet #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) November 6, 2021
Sure, a backcourt violation isn’t great either, but it’s better than just handing the opposition points instead of making them earn it.
Maybe he didn’t feel like reaching down to pick up a basketball, or maybe he forgot the rules (and that the Pistons could pick up the ball and score). Either way, not good.
[Photo Credit: YES Network]
