The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of February. The honor is Harden’s first as a Net, in his first full month with the franchise, and the 11th of his career.
Harden led Brooklyn to an Eastern Conference-best 9-4 record in February, recording averages of 25.6 points on 49.1 percent shooting from the field, 42.9 percent shooting from 3-point range and 84.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.8 rebounds, an East-leading 10.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 36.8 minutes per game.
He registered 11 double-doubles (tied for fourth in the East) and three triple-doubles (third in the East) and was one of just two players in the conference to average 25.0 points per game and 10.0 assists per game for the month.
The Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Feb. 15 – 21 helped lead the Nets to an eight-game winning streak in February, good for the franchise’s longest winning streak since the 2005-06 season. Brooklyn also posted a perfect 5-0 record on the team’s West Coast trip, spanning from Feb. 13 at Golden State through Feb. 21 at L.A. Clippers, representing the longest undefeated road trip in franchise history.
In 22 games with Brooklyn since being acquired via trade, Harden has registered averages of 25.3 points on 49.0 percent shooting from the field, 41.9 percent shooting from 3-point range and 85.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line, 8.7 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 38.3 minutes per contest. He’s notched 19 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles, already the second-most recorded by a player in Nets history. Since his Nets debut on Jan. 16 vs. Orlando, Harden ranks first in the league in assists per game, triple-doubles and double-doubles, while leading Brooklyn to the second-best record in the league in that timeframe (16-7). For the full season, Harden has seen action in 30 games with Brooklyn and Houston, averaging 25.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 37.7 minutes per game.
Harden is the fourth Net to earn Player of the Month honors since the award was first presented in the 1979-80 season and the first since Vince Carter in Apr. 2007. He’s also the first player in franchise history to average 25.0 points and 10.0 assists in a month (minimum 10 games played).
All-Time Nets Player of the Month Honorees:
James Harden – Feb. 2021
Vince Carter – Apr. 2007
Vince Carter – Dec. 2005
Vince Carter – Feb. 2005
Kenyon Martin – Feb. 2004
Jason Kidd – Dec. 2002
Jason Kidd – Nov. 2001
*Note – The NBA began awarding Player of the Month by conference in 2001-02.
Image – Getty / NBA
